CJI Chandrachud Says No To 'Tarikh-Pe-Tarikh', Urges Supreme Court Lawyers To Not Seek Adjournments In New Cases

Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, urged lawyers on Friday (3 November) not to request adjournments in new cases, expressing his desire for the Supreme Court not to become a "tarikh-pe-tarikh" court.

At the start of the day's proceedings, the CJI raised the issue of lawyers seeking adjournments in new cases, noting that in the last two months, advocates had filed adjournment slips in 3,688 cases, Indian Express reported.

"Unless it is absolutely necessary, please refrain from filing adjournment slips... I do not want this court to become a 'tarikh-pe-tarikh' court," said the CJI, who was presiding over the bench with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

"Tarikh-pe-Tarikh" (repeated adjournments) was a famous dialogue delivered by Sunny Deol in the Bollywood film Damini, where the actor lamented the culture of adjournments in courts.

The CJI mentioned that, with the assistance of lawyers' organisations, the time gap between filing and listing new cases in the top court has significantly reduced. However, he expressed regret that once the cases are listed before the benches, lawyers often seek adjournments, sending a negative signal to the outside world.

"I have noticed that the period from filing to listing is decreasing. We could not have achieved this without the support of the SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) and the SCAORA (Supreme Court Advocates-on Record Association)," the CJI stated.

He also noted that for November 3, there were 178 adjournment slips, and there have been 150 adjournment slips on each miscellaneous day since October. From September to October, a total of 3,688 adjournment slips were issued. The CJI emphasised that this practice undermines the purpose of expediting cases.