Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Shah noted that a common tactic for litigants is to seek repeated adjournments and cause enormous delay to deny justice
The supreme court on Thursday barred grant of repeated adjournments routinely and asked courts to refuse the advocates’ requests for deferment of hearings.
A bench of judges while frowning upon the 10 adjournments granted by an MP court in an eviction suit to delay the process by four years said that the MP court verdict will further slow down the adjournment process and it is time to bring about some modifications.
‘The time has now come to change the work culture and get out of the adjournment culture so that the confidence and trust put by the litigants in the justice delivery system is not shaken,’ said Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna.
Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Shah noted that a common tactic for litigants is to seek repeated adjournments and cause enormous delay to deny justice to the opposite party which often breaks the back of the litigants and the supreme court has to work hard to strengthen the confidence of the common man in the institution
‘Any effort which weakens the system and shakes the faith of the common man in the justice dispensation has to be discouraged. Therefore, the courts shall not grant adjournments in a routine manner and mechanically and shall not be a party to cause for delay in dispensing justice. The courts have to be diligent and take timely action in order to usher in an efficient justice dispensation system and maintain faith in rule of law,’ the bench said.
However, the court added that the judges by doing this may become privy to the displeasure of litigants and become unpopular among advocates but they should not worry if their conscience is clear
‘The judicial officer shall not worry about that if his conscience is clear. The judicial officer has to bear in mind his duties to the litigants who are before the courts and who have come for justice and for whom courts are meant and make all efforts to provide timely justice to the litigants,’ the SC said.
