vacations

In last and previous years, there was only a one week miscellaneous week on either side of the apex court’s summer vacations.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) RM Lodha has notified the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 that have received the president’s assent and will reduce the maximum time of the apex court’s summer vacations from 10 to 7 weeks, reported the Indian Express, though the total annual holidays will remain capped at 103 days [Download rules here].

The court took 49 days (7 weeks) of summer vacations this year, against an average of 45 days for the past few years. However, the move is seen as symbolic of Lodha’s desire to reduce pendency in the courts by increasing the number of working days, which has seen heavy resistance from bar councils and associations.

The Supreme Court summer vacation bench, sitting from 12 May until 29 June 2014 will hear regular matters during those holidays from Tuesday to Friday, the Supreme Court announced. [Circular]

A circular by the Supreme Court of India has declared that the week before and after the upcoming court summer vacations from 10 May 2014 to 27 June 2014 will be miscellaneous weeks (i.e., all days from 5 May - 9 May 2014, and from 30 June to 4 July 2014, will be miscellaneous days). Further details on admissions matters and listings in the [SC circular]

The Supreme Court and its registry will be closed on Thursday 10 April and Monday 14 April 2014 because of the general elections and Dr BR Ambedkar's birthday respectively, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) has announced in notices on the SC website

Ambedkar birthday notice [General elections notice]

The Supreme Court has issued the guidelines to govern hearings during the court’s summer vacations from 12 May to 29 June 2014.

On its website, the court wrote that any “pending and ready” cases falling within 30 announced categories, could be taken up by the vacation bench after application to the deputy registrar by 2 May 2014 [Court notice (PDF)].