New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, made sharp observations about the work ethic of some High Court judges, remarking that many take "unnecessary breaks" on the pretext of lunch and coffee. The comment came during the hearing of a petition filed by four Jharkhand residents serving life imprisonment. A division bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh expressed concern over the prolonged delay in pronouncing judgments even after hearings have concluded in several High Court cases. The bench said it was time to audit the performance of judges.

"Some judges work very hard, but others take frequent and avoidable breaks -- sometimes for coffee, sometimes for lunch, and sometimes for other reasons," the bench observed. "Why can't they work continuously at least until lunch? We are receiving numerous complaints about High Court judges. This issue needs serious attention. It is important to assess how we are performing and what our judicial output is. The time has come to audit the performance of the judges." 

The petitioners, belonging to Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, had approached the Supreme Court alleging that even after hearings in their criminal appeals were completed in the High Court, the verdicts had been reserved for two to three years. The Supreme Court said such delays highlight the need for clear guidelines to uphold public confidence in the judicial process and to ensure that convicts and undertrials do not feel that they have been denied justice.

"Such petitions should not be repeated. Mandatory guidelines are necessary to safeguard trust in the system," the bench said. However, during the last hearing on May 5, the Supreme Court was informed that verdicts in all four cases had now been delivered. Appeals were allowed in three of them, while the fourth was referred to another bench due to a split verdict.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had sought details from all High Courts about cases in which hearings had concluded but verdicts were pending as of January 31, 2025. On May 9, it further directed High Courts to inform when judgments in such cases were delivered and when they were uploaded on their websites. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July. Advocate Fauzia Shakil appeared for the petitioners.