NEW DELHI, Nov 12: In a major move to promote transparency and accountability in the judiciary, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all high courts across the country to create online dashboards displaying details of reserved judgements, verdicts delivered, and dates of uploading.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued the directive while expressing concern over delays in pronouncing verdicts, particularly highlighting instances in the Jharkhand High Court, where some cases had remained undecided for years after final hearings.
“Let everyone know how many judgements were reserved, how many were delivered, and when they were uploaded,” Justice Kant observed. Justice Bagchi concurred, stating that the move would ensure “judicial accountability towards the people.”
The order came while hearing pleas filed by death row and life convicts, represented by advocate Fauzia Shakil, who complained that the Jharkhand High Court had not pronounced verdicts on their appeals for years. Following the Supreme Court’s intervention, the high court subsequently delivered the pending judgements, acquitting most of the petitioners.
The apex court expanded the scope of the case to all high courts and sought data on delayed verdicts. On Wednesday, it noted that seven high courts — Allahabad, Punjab and Haryana, Patna, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Telangana, and Gauhati — had yet to submit their reports. The court gave them two weeks to comply or face the physical presence of their registrar generals at the next hearing.
The bench also asked high courts to suggest ways to improve public access to judicial data and raise any concerns regarding the publication of such information.
Justice Kant clarified that the dashboard would not reveal case-specific details but would show aggregate data, including the number of reserved judgements since January 31, 2025, verdicts delivered, and dates of uploading.
The court, which had earlier criticized delays and lack of performance evaluation among judges, reiterated the need for self-regulation and efficiency to prevent judicial backlogs. (Agencies)
