Madras High Court Judge Implements New SOP for Swift Case Resolution
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Chennai, Dec 18 (NationPress) In a bid to accelerate the resolution of pending cases, Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy of the Madras High Court has established a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that focuses on refining court operations.
The SOP aims to reduce the inefficiencies associated with unnecessary mentions and adjournments.
Justice Chakravarthy pointed out that there is no necessity for early listing requests for new cases. He also informed attorneys that they could obtain motion slips directly from his Court Officer and submit them to the registry for lunch motions or for listing new cases for the following day.
“The court relies on Bar members to utilize their discretion judiciously and apply the slips solely in valid situations,” the judge stressed.
To facilitate the prioritization of pending cases, a register has been made available in his court hall where attorneys can record the case numbers they wish to have heard sooner.
Justice Chakravarthy guaranteed that these cases would be listed swiftly, ideally on Thursdays and Fridays.
Furthermore, the judge clarified that early morning mentions for adjournments are no longer permissible. Instead, requests for adjournments should only be made when the case is before the bench. If the counsel is unavailable, the matter will be deferred and addressed after the lunch break at 2:15 p.m.
Justice Chakravarthy also urged lawyers to communicate with the court respectfully, omitting formalities such as “My Lord” or “Your Lordship.”
The SOP underscores the significance of effective communication among lawyers. It states that adjournments will not be granted on the basis of case papers not being served to the respondent's counsel. Petitioners’ counsels are expected to provide either hard copies from the case bundle or soft copies when necessary.
The judge made it abundantly clear that such issues should not be presented to the court, and no adjournments will be approved on these grounds.
Moreover, attorneys are encouraged to deliver legal citations to the Court Officer or Law Clerk ahead of time. The court will review the cited judgments electronically prior to the hearings. This initiative is part of Justice Chakravarthy’s commitment to ensuring effective case management and facilitating expedited justice delivery.
