No more adjournment letters in after-notice bail cases: SC

• Adjournments, denounced as a major factor for pendency, delay in court hearings, and a money-drainer for litigants, is no longer going to be easy in the Supreme Court.

Key Highlights

• A circular issued by the Supreme Court said it would not entertain letters of adjournment from lawyers in bail and anticipatory bail cases for which notice had been earlier issued by the court.
• Letters of adjournment are last-minute requests by parties for postponement of cases listed before a Bench of the court.
• The case, when called for hearing in the day, is usually adjourned if all the parties agree.
• Usually, they do it as a matter of professional courtesy.
• The court said such letters seeking adjournment would also not be entertained in cases
  • In which exemption from surrendering has already been granted;
  • Cases in which an interim order favouring the party seeking the adjournment is already in operation;
  • And in matters in which suspension of sentence has been sought.
• This would mean that the parties must necessarily appear in court in these categories of cases and the Bench would take a decision, in its own discretion
• The court had in turn constituted a committee of judges to prepare a standard operating procedure (SoP) on adjournments.

Prelims Takeaway

• Adjournments
• Advocate on Record