NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday called for a performance audit of high court judges, citing increasing complaints and concerns over judicial efficiency. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh expressed displeasure over judges frequently taking breaks and delays in delivering judgments.
“There are some judges who work very hard, but at the same time, there are others who are unnecessarily taking coffee breaks—this break or that break,” Justice Kant observed. “We are hearing numerous complaints about high court judges. It is a larger issue that needs serious attention. What is the performance level of these judges? How much are we spending, and what is the actual output? It’s high time we conduct a performance audit.”
The remarks were made during the hearing of a plea filed by four individuals, who pointed out that the Jharkhand High Court had reserved its judgment in a criminal appeal against their conviction and life sentences back in 2022 but had failed to pronounce the verdict for over two years.
The petitioners’ counsel, Fauzia Shakil, informed the court that following the Supreme Court’s intervention, the Jharkhand High Court finally delivered its verdicts on May 5 and 6. Three of the four appellants were acquitted, while the fourth case resulted in a split verdict, which has been referred to the Chief Justice of the High Court. The petitioner in that case was granted bail.
Shakil further noted that despite the acquittal, the concerned individuals had not been released from jail, and the high court orders did not mention the dates on which the judgments had been reserved.
Taking a strong exception, the Supreme Court directed the Jharkhand government’s counsel to ensure immediate release of the acquitted individuals before the lunch break. The counsel later confirmed that the release had been executed, attributing the earlier delay to the unavailability of release orders from the trial courts.
The apex court reiterated that timelines for pronouncement of judgments must be strictly followed and said a new mechanism would be proposed to ensure compliance. It directed the Supreme Court Registry to collect relevant data from all high courts and scheduled the matter for further hearing in July.
