Mon May 05 07:25:51 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Orders High Courts to Address Pending Judgments
**New Delhi, May 5, 2025** – The Supreme Court of India has expressed serious concern over the backlog of pending judgments in High Courts across the country. The court’s action follows a report revealing that the Jharkhand High Court has yet to deliver verdicts in 67 criminal appeals, despite reserving judgment in some cases as far back as 2022.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh described the situation as “disturbing” and vowed to establish mandatory guidelines to prevent such delays. The court directed all High Courts to submit reports within four weeks detailing all cases where judgments were reserved on or before January 31, 2025, but remain unpronounced.
The Supreme Court’s intervention was prompted by a plea from four life convicts whose appeals, heard in 2022, remain unresolved. Their lawyer argued that the delay prevented them from accessing potential remission benefits. The court’s order aims to ensure timely justice and address the significant backlog of cases within the Indian judicial system.
First Piper 