New Delhi:
In India, the holidays of Supreme Court and High Court judges often become a subject of debate. Former Chief Justice (CJI) DY Chandrachud has expressed his views on holidays and criticism of judges. Justice DY Chandrachud said that many people often say that they (judges) get a lot of leave, but people do not understand that judges work 24X7 and 365 days. The District Judge sits on the bench even on Saturday-Sunday. The former CJI made it clear that judges do not just have the job of hearing cases or giving verdicts. He also has to look after all the administrative work.
Former CJI DY Chandrachud said these things in an exclusive interview with NDTV on Wednesday. He said, “The Supreme Court of India is among the top courts in the world with the longest duration of week days. Justice DY Chandrachud said, “You know there are Supreme Courts in other parts of the world, where if a judge hears the cases… The hearing sits for a week, then they get a week’s leave to actually deliver the verdict.”
Asked whether the world at large needs to be sensitive to Supreme Court holidays? In response to this, the former CJI says, “Absolutely. I completely agree with you. This is why a partial court functions even during summers. The doors of the court are never closed.”
The former CJI said, “The first casualty of your life on the bench is your ability to spend time with your family. Now I am making up for lost ground.” Let us tell you that the country’s 50th CJI DY Chandrachud is retiring on 10 November 2024.
He said that important constitutional matters or matters involving important questions of law are mainly decided during holidays. Justice Chandrachud explains, “This happens only when you have a short break or a long break. Like Holi or Diwali… Even during this time, judges complete their work.”
The former CJI explains, “You must have heard or read many times that a judge has gone out of the city. When he goes out of the city, he is usually addressing the students of law colleges. He is organizing legal help camps. This is equally a part of a contemporary judge’s job. It is not that judges have unlimited time off or time to spend with their families.”
How many holidays in Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court works for 193 days in a year. If we look at the court calendar, there are roughly 3 holidays in the entire year. The biggest holiday is summer vacation. It lasts from the end of May to the first week of July i.e. a total of 7 weeks. It is not that the Supreme Court is completely closed during summer vacation. When there is summer vacation, the vacation bench looks after the work. The CJI prepares the roster even before the summer vacation begins. A bench is formed to hear the cases.
How many holidays in High Court?
The High Court works for 210 days out of 365 days of the year. The High Court can make its own annual leave calendar. This means that when and on which day their holidays will take place varies every year.
How much leave do you get in the district court?
If we talk about Session Court or Trial Court, it functions there for 245 days out of 365 days of the year. The calendar is decided according to local holidays. Work is done on all days except Gazetted and Saturday-Sunday holidays.
