Amid the commencement of the Supreme Court’s winter vacation, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Friday clarified that the Court will hold a special vacation sitting on December 22 to hear genuinely urgent matters. The apex court, however, will otherwise resume its regular sittings from January 5, 2025.

The CJI made these observations when several lawyers sought oral mentioning and urgent listing of matters on Friday itself, citing the closure of the Court for winter vacations. Firmly declining same-day listings, Justice Surya Kant underscored the immense workload already borne by the judges due to heavy filings throughout the week.

“All those who are in the queue seeking listing, will you argue on Monday? We are ready to sit on Monday,” the CJI remarked.

No Listing Today, But Hearing on Monday

The Chief Justice made it clear that no matters would be listed on Friday, pointing out that judges had been reading briefs late into the night because of the volume of filings.

“The Hon’ble judges have been reading the files the entire night since there was so much filing. I am not going to ask them to read a new brief today,” Justice Surya Kant said.

He added that matters would be listed on December 22 only on the condition that counsels are fully prepared to argue on that day.

Registry to Verify ‘Actual Urgency’

Addressing mentions relating to child custody, bail, interim protection from arrest and similar issues, the CJI stated that the Registry will scrutinize each urgent memo to determine whether there is real and immediate urgency.

“Wherever you give an urgent memo, we will find out if there is an actual urgency and list on Monday,” he observed.

If genuine urgency is found—particularly in cases involving interim bail or custody of children—the matters will be taken up during the special sitting.

Number of Benches Yet to Be Decided

Justice Surya Kant further clarified that the decision on whether one or more benches would sit on December 22 would depend entirely on the number of urgent matters cleared for listing.

“Whether one bench or two benches should sit, we will see how many matters are there,” the CJI said.

Balancing Urgency and Judicial Capacity

The CJI’s remarks reflect a careful balancing act between ensuring access to urgent justice during court vacations and safeguarding the well-being and capacity of judges, who, as he noted, are already stretched due to heavy filings.

The announcement sends a clear message: urgent matters will not go unheard, but urgency must be real—and counsels must be ready to argue without delay.