CJI Chandrachud asks lawyers not to request postponements, says 'don't want Supreme Court to become 'tarikh-pe-tarikh' court 

The Chief Justice of India (CJI), DY Chandrachud, issued a plea to lawyers on Friday, urging them not to request postponements for new cases. He expressed his desire to prevent the Supreme Court from turning into a 'tarikh-pe-tarikh' court, where cases are endlessly postponed.

At the beginning of the day's proceedings, the CJI raised the concern of lawyers frequently seeking adjournments for fresh cases. He noted that in the past two months, advocates had requested adjournments in 3,688 cases.

The CJI, who presided over the bench alongside Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized that unless absolutely necessary, lawyers should refrain from submitting adjournment requests. He stated, "I don't want this court to become a 'tarikh-pe-tarikh' court," referencing a famous Bollywood dialogue from the movie "Damini," in which the actor Sunny Deol lamented the culture of repeated adjournments in courts.

The CJI acknowledged that thanks to the collaboration with lawyers' associations, the time between filing fresh cases and their listing in the Supreme Court had significantly decreased. However, he expressed disappointment that even after cases were listed, lawyers often sought adjournments, which conveyed a negative message to the public.

He noted, "I have observed a reduction in the time from filing to listing. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of the SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) and the SCAORA (Supreme Court Advocates-on Record Association)."

The CJI highlighted that on November 3, there were 178 adjournment requests, and on miscellaneous days since October, there were 150 adjournment requests daily. In total, from September to October, 3,688 adjournment requests were made. He concluded, "This defeats the very purpose of expediting the case."

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