This Supreme Court judgment reiterates the legal imperative for timely pronouncement of reserved judgments to uphold the right to speedy justice. The Supreme Court directed all High Courts to strictly adhere to the guidelines established in Anil Rai v. State of Bihar, mandating a monitoring mechanism by the Registrar General and the Chief Justice to ensure judgments are delivered within three months of being reserved.
Facts Of The Case:
The appellant, the de-facto complainant in the case, challenged interim orders from the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad concerning a long-pending criminal appeal filed by respondent no. 2 in 2008. The core grievance was the inordinate delay in the High Court’s disposal of this criminal appeal. The appeal had initially been heard at length by a Division Bench, which reserved it for orders on December 24, 2021. However, the judgment was never pronounced. Due to this failure to deliver the judgment, and in light of an administrative order, the case was eventually directed to be listed before a different Regular Bench. Despite the appellant’s repeated efforts over nine different applications for an early hearing and disposal, the appeal remained pending without a final verdict, leading the appellant to approach the Supreme Court for expeditious resolution.
Procedural History:
The procedural history of this case originates from a criminal appeal filed before the Allahabad High Court in 2008. After a prolonged delay, the High Court finally heard the appeal and reserved it for judgment on December 24, 2021. When the judgment was not delivered even after a year, the matter was administratively reassigned to a different bench and subsequently adjourned on several dates. The de-facto complainant, aggrieved by this delay, approached the Supreme Court via Special Leave Petitions. The Supreme Court, after calling for a report from the High Court’s Registrar General which confirmed the facts, granted leave and disposed of the appeals by reiterating and supplementing the existing guidelines from Anil Rai v. State of Bihar to ensure timely pronouncement of reserved judgments.
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Court Observation:
The Court expressed extreme shock and concern over the failure to pronounce a judgment for almost a year after the appeal was reserved for orders. It observed that such inordinate delays defeat the ends of justice and cause litigants to lose faith in the judicial process. The Bench noted the absence of an effective mechanism in most High Courts for litigants to seek expedited judgment delivery. Relying on its landmark judgment in Anil Rai vs. State of Bihar, the Court reiterated the necessity for timely pronouncement of judgments as an integral part of the justice dispensation system. It deprecated the practice of reserving judgments for excessively long periods and emphasized the need for strict adherence to the existing guidelines to uphold the right to a speedy trial.
Final Decision & Judgement:
The Supreme Court disposed of the appeals by reiterating and supplementing the directives laid down in Anil Rai v. State of Bihar. The Court directed the Registrar General of every High Court to furnish a monthly list to the Chief Justice of all cases where a reserved judgment has not been pronounced. If a judgment remains undelivered after three months from reservation, the Chief Justice must bring it to the concerned Bench’s notice, directing it to pronounce the judgment within two weeks, failing which the case must be assigned to a different Bench for fresh arguments. A copy of this judgment was ordered to be circulated to all High Courts for compliance.
Case Details:
Case Title: Ravindra Pratap Shahi Versus State of U.P. & Ors. Citation: 2025 INSC 1039 Criminal Appeal No.: Criminal Appeal No(s). 3700-3701 of 2025 Date of Judgement: August 25, 2025 Judges/Justice Name: Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Sanjay Karol
Download The Judgement Here