Supreme Court orders High Courts to launch transparency dashboards for reserved and delivered judgements

New Delhi, November 12: In a significant step toward improving judicial transparency and accountability, the Supreme Court has directed all High Courts across the country to create a dedicated dashboard on their official websites. This dashboard must provide clear information on all judgements reserved after January 31, details of verdicts delivered, and the dates on which these decisions were uploaded online.

The directive came from a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, which voiced concern over the prolonged delays in pronouncing judgements in several High Courts, including Jharkhand. The judges noted that many criminal and civil cases were left pending for years even after hearings had concluded and orders had been reserved. Justice Surya Kant remarked that such crucial data must be accessible to the public, stating that everyone should be able to see the number of reserved judgements, how many were eventually pronounced, and the dates of their publication on the concerned High Court websites.

Justice Bagchi echoed the sentiment and said that a separate dashboard or window on each High Court’s website would help demonstrate judicial accountability to the people. The observations came while the bench was hearing petitions originally filed by multiple death row and life convicts alleging that the Jharkhand High Court failed to pronounce judgements on their appeals for several years. After the Supreme Court’s intervention, the High Court eventually delivered its verdicts in those matters, resulting in the acquittal of most of the petitioners.

Following this, other convicts lodged in Jharkhand’s prisons approached the top court with similar complaints. In response, the Supreme Court broadened the scope of the proceedings and sought details from all High Courts regarding cases where verdicts were reserved for long periods.

Amicus curiae Fauzia Shakil informed the bench that seven High Courts had not yet submitted the required details, while the rest had provided their reports, which are currently being compiled. Taking a serious view of the delay, the bench directed the High Courts of Allahabad, Punjab and Haryana, Patna, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Telangana, and Gauhati to submit their reports within two weeks. The court warned that failure to do so would require the respective Registrar General to appear in person on the next date of hearing.

The Supreme Court also asked all High Courts to offer suggestions for improving public access to judicial information so that uniform national guidelines can be formulated. Additionally, the courts were directed to highlight any concerns or challenges they foresee in sharing such data publicly.

Justice Kant clarified that the dashboard will not disclose any personal or case-specific details. Instead, it will present general information such as the total number of cases in which judgements were reserved from January 31 to October 31, 2025, the number of judgements delivered within that period, and the dates on which they were uploaded.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly raised concerns about delays in pronouncing judgements. On September 22, the court lamented that some judges were unable to complete pending work and stressed the need for performance evaluation. While acknowledging that it does not wish to act like a school principal, the court said there must be an internal mechanism to ensure that files do not accumulate without action.

The court has often highlighted the issue of unnecessary adjournments and pending verdicts. Earlier, on August 8, the Supreme Court advised the Jharkhand High Court judges to consider taking leave specifically to write pending verdicts, noting that 61 cases were awaiting judgement. On May 13, in the same matter, the top court called for a performance audit of High Court judges, emphasising that many complaints had been received about delays and avoidable breaks.

The Supreme Court has termed the concerns raised by the Jharkhand convicts as a matter of “paramount importance” which strikes at the core of the criminal justice system. By mandating a public dashboard, the court aims to strengthen judicial credibility, reduce delays, and ensure that accountability becomes an integral part of the justice delivery process.