SC Sounds Alarm on Delayed Judgments, Vows to Eradicate 'Identifiable Ailment'

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The Supreme Court has identified delayed judgment delivery as a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. In a recent hearing, the court highlighted the need for timely justice and expressed concern over high courts reserving judgments for months without making them public. The issue came to light in a case where the Jharkhand High Court orally pronounced a judgment on December 4, 2025, but the verdict has yet to be uploaded. Chief Justice Surya Kant emphasized that this is not an isolated incident and is a 'challenge before the judiciary' that needs to be tackled. He noted that some judges reserve judgments in multiple cases without delivering them, while others delay pronouncing judgments. The CJI will raise this issue with chief justices of high courts and seek solutions to prevent avoidable litigation. The court has directed the Jharkhand High Court to provide a complete judgment to the counsel by the end of next week.