Following a similar move by the Rajasthan High Court, the Delhi High Court has decided to formally include two Saturdays every month as working days. The Court has notified that the first and third Saturdays of every month will now be official court sitting days.

This marks a significant departure from the long-standing practice under which Saturdays were generally treated as holidays, except in special or urgent circumstances.

The decision was taken by the Full Court of the Delhi High Court in its meeting held on December 22, 2025, and the notification giving effect to this decision was issued today.

The new directive builds upon an arrangement introduced in 2025, when the Delhi High Court had required each Bench to sit on one Saturday per month with the objective of expediting the disposal of pending cases. The present move institutionalises and expands that effort by fixing two Saturdays as regular working days.

However, the policy has not been without controversy. The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) had earlier raised strong objections to Saturday sittings, contending that the Bar was not consulted before the arrangement was introduced. The Association had argued that such sittings adversely affected lawyers’ work–life balance and posed logistical difficulties for advocates, litigants, and court staff.

The DHCBA had urged the Court either to suspend the Saturday working arrangement or, at the very least, to prescribe one uniform fixed Saturday for all Benches, instead of leaving it to individual scheduling.

With the latest notification, the Delhi High Court joins a growing list of High Courts experimenting with extended working days as a measure to tackle pendency, even as concerns from the Bar continue to persist.