NEW DELHI, Jul 15: The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea seeking the formulation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to enable citizens to approach courts at any hour, including midnight, in urgent cases involving protection of life and personal liberty.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana on Tuesday issued notices to all high courts on the petition filed by advocate Maheravish Rein.
The petition contends that constitutional courts should remain accessible beyond regular working hours, citing concerns over late-night arrests, early morning demolition drives, deportations, and executive actions carried out during weekends and holidays.
“The protection of liberty cannot remain dependent upon the temporal boundaries of court schedules,” the plea states, adding that constitutional safeguards should not become ineffective outside normal court hours.
While agreeing to examine the matter, the apex court also expressed concern that a 24×7 judicial access mechanism should not be misused for non-urgent matters.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that access to justice after court hours follows a different process than regular proceedings and emphasised the need for a structured or graded mechanism to deal with urgent cases. He noted that the judiciary already remains accessible through e-filing and that even a letter, email or phone call can trigger judicial intervention in exceptional circumstances.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that framing such an SOP should be considered by the Supreme Court on its administrative side rather than through judicial proceedings. The matter will be taken up after responses are received from the high courts. (Agencies)
