Delhi high court judges go beyond schedule to hear urgent cases during summer break
Justices Jasmeet Singh and Vikas Mahajan were among the judges assigned to the vacation bench this year.
Delhi high court justices Jasmeet Singh and Vikas Mahajan sat beyond their regular working hours on Monday to ensure the timely hearing of urgent cases, Bar and Bench reported.
The Delhi HC traditionally observes a summer break, during which regular court proceedings are suspended. However, a vacation bench comprising a select group of judges is designated to address urgent matters that require immediate attention. Justices Jasmeet Singh and Vikas Mahajan were among the judges assigned to the vacation bench this year.
The day began with justice Singh and justice Mahajan convening as a division bench at approximately 10:30am. Together, they deliberated on a range of cases. However, at around 3:30pm, the judges split and presided over separate single-judge benches to expedite the proceedings.
While justice Mahajan concluded the day's proceedings at around 9:20pm, Justice Singh remained on the bench until 9:50pm. During this time, Justice Mahajan effectively dealt with 50 cases, while Justice Singh attended to 48 matters.
In a commendable gesture, Justice Mahajan expressed his willingness to sit on Tuesday, despite it not being a working day for the high court, to address the pending matters that could not be heard on the same day. Lawyers appearing before the judges greatly appreciated this gesture, recognizing the judges' commitment to justice.
One such instance occurred when senior advocate Mohit Mathur, also the president of the Delhi high court bar association (DHCBA), was presenting a case before Justice Mahajan at around 9pm. In an appreciative gesture, Mathur suggested that the judge should take a break and have dinner, and resume hearing the remaining matters the next day. Responding to this suggestion, the court agreed to take up the remaining 15 matters on Tuesday, ensuring that no case would be left unheard.
Throughout the day, the judges tackled various types of cases, including those related to demolition of property, anticipatory bail matters, pleas for suspension of Look Out Circulars (LOCs), copyright infringement cases, and a batch of petitions concerning Haj Group Organisers (HGOs).
This is not the first time that Justice Singh is holding Court beyond the normal working hours. Even in June 2021, he had held court till around 11pm.
