The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that judges are willing to work during the summer vacation, but they’re finding it hard to get lawyers to do the same.

Justice Surya Kant, during a hearing, said, “We are struggling since yesterday to convince the Bar to please work during the vacation. We want to work.”

He made this comment after asking if Senior Advocate Aryama Sundaram would be available in the first week of the vacation. When told that he might not be, Justice Kant said that while judges are ready to hear cases, they are not getting enough support from lawyers.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati suggested the matter could still be listed. Justice Dipankar Datta pointed out that it’s not officially vacation yet, and Justice Kant agreed, calling it a “partial working day.”

There was a light moment when Justice Kant asked,
“Mr. Gopal Subramanium is here?”
A lawyer replied with a joke, calling it a “leading question,” which made the courtroom laugh.

Earlier, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai also said that although judges are working during the vacation, they still get blamed for case delays.

“The first five judges are sitting through the vacation and continuing to work, yet we are blamed for the backlog. In reality, it is the lawyers who are unwilling to work,” he said.

The Supreme Court's summer vacation will run from May 26 to July 14. On May 17, the Court released a list of 21 vacation benches that will be working during this time.