In a move to enhance transparency and judicial accountability, the Supreme Court has suggested that all High Courts establish dedicated dashboards on their official websites displaying the dates of reservation, pronouncement, and uploading of judgments by their judges.

 

The Court stressed that such dashboards should clearly show how many judgments have been reserved but remain unpronounced for over six months, and how many were delivered after that duration.

 

“Let it be publicly known — in each High Court, how many judgments have been reserved by each judge, how many have been pronounced, and within how many days they were uploaded. The data must be automated and accessible to the public,” observed Justice Surya Kant.

 

Justice K. V. Viswanathan Bagchi added, “This will demonstrate the transparency and accountability of the judiciary to the people.”

 

A Bench of Justices Kant and Bagchi was hearing a matter concerning the prolonged delay in pronouncement of reserved judgments in the Jharkhand High Court. Earlier, the Court had directed all High Court Registrars General to file reports detailing cases where judgments remained pending as of May 5, 2025, despite being reserved before January 31.

 

The Bench noted that while some High Courts had filed their affidavits, others had failed to comply. It granted a further two weeks for submission, warning that non-compliance would require personal appearance of the respective Registrar Generals.

 

After reviewing a report by Amicus Curiae Fauzia Shakil, the Court directed High Courts to submit affidavits addressing:

1. Existing systems for publicly displaying the dates of reservation, pronouncement, and uploading of judgments;

2. Details of judgments reserved after January 31, 2025, and pronounced till October 31, 2025, along with upload dates;

3. Suggestions for uniform disclosure practices and any potential challenges anticipated from such publication.

 

The Bench directed compliance within four weeks, observing that some High Courts have already shown significant progress in this area.