High Courts not pronouncing verdicts in criminal appeals for months is 'disturbing': Supreme Court

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh termed the development as 'disturbing', and said it will law down some mandatory guidelines on the issue.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday took exception to the Jharkhand High Court not pronouncing judgments after reserving them for years, and sought reports within a month from all high courts on cases where verdicts have been reserved on or before January 31, 2025.

Terming such non-pronouncement of verdicts by courts a "very disturbing issue", a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said this court will lay down some mandatory guidelines for the high courts.

"Let us see. Honestly speaking it is a very disturbing issue but we don't know the circumstances -- why it has happened -- but we would like to definitely lay down some mandatory guidelines. It cannot be allowed to happen like this," the bench said.

A report by the registrar general of Jharkhand High Court was filed on a plea of four life convicts who complained that the high court has not pronounced its verdict on their criminal appeals despite reserving its order in 2022.

"Having perused the report sent by the Registrar General of the Jharkhand High Court, it seems to us that we must get such a report from all the high courts."

Seeking a report from all the high courts within four weeks, the bench said the information must contain details of criminal appeals and civil matters separately with a further specification whether it is a division bench matter or single judge matter.

The court scheduled the matter for consideration in July.

The bench noted that there are a total of 67 cases pending before the Jharkhand High Court where the order has been reserved but judgements have not been pronounced till date.

The court found that there are 56 matters including some criminal appeals where the division bench of the high court has finally heard the matters on different dates ranging from January 4, 2022, till December 16, 2024, but the final pronouncements are awaited.

"There are 11 single judge matters also before another judge where the orders are reserved on different dates from July 25, 2024, till September 27, 2024," the bench recorded in its order.

The court also took on record a newspaper report which said that since April 23, when the apex court has asked the registrar general of the Jharkhand High Court to furnish a report on cases where judgements had been reserved but not pronounced for the last two months, the high court has passed orders in 75 cases.

The bench directed the registrar general of the Jharkhand High Court to furnish the list of these 75 criminal appeals where the judgements have been pronounced by the high court.

Advocate Fauzia Shakil, appearing for the four life convicts, pointed out that 10 convicts who are similarly placed are also lodged in Birsa Munda Jail at Hotwar in Ranchi and judgement has not been pronounced by the high court.

The bench, while listing the pleas of four convicts on May 12, directed the registrar general of the Jharkhand High Court to furnish the details about the fate of criminal appeals filed by the petitioners.

The court directed the executive chairperson of the Jharkhand state legal service authority to take immediate necessary steps to provide legal remedy to the 10 prisoners languishing in Ranchi jail and ensure that the convicts like petitioners are not left remediless.