"Do You Know How Many Hours We Sleep?" Supreme Court Judge On Urgent Hearing Plea

Supreme Court judge and next in line for Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant expressed strong views regarding urgent case listings during a recent court session.

Supreme Court judge and next in line for Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant

Justice Surya Kant delivered a pointed response when a lawyer requested an urgent listing for a case, highlighting the immense workload that judiciary officials currently face.

"Unless someone is about to be hanged, I will never list a mentioned case on the same day," declared Justice Kant, as he rejected a request for same-day hearing regarding a matter involving a residential house auction.

The remarks came from Justice Kant, who is anticipated to take office as the Chief Justice of India this November, during the morning mentioning session of the court.

Addressing a counsel who sought immediate listing of a matter because his client's house was scheduled for auction that very day, Justice Kant remarked, "You people don't understand the plight of judges... Do you know how many hours we are sleeping?" He further emphasized that such urgency would only be considered "Unless someone's liberty is at stake..."

These comments follow a notable rule implemented in August this year that prohibits senior advocates from mentioning cases not scheduled for the day's proceedings.

Mentioning is a standard procedure in the Supreme Court where lawyers, each morning, bring attention to cases requiring urgent listing or court orders before the regular daily hearings commence.

On August 6, Chief Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai announced that effective August 11, senior advocates would no longer be permitted to mention cases for urgent hearing in his courtroom.