CJI Sanjiv Khanna Agrees To Consider Request To Allow Letter Circulation For Adjournment

Newly sworn-in Chief Justice of India Sanijv Khanna on Monday (November 11) agreed to consider a request made by a lawyer to allow the practice of seeking adjournments by letter circulation. CJI also agreed to consider the request for the publication of physical causelists.

In December last year, the Supreme Court had temporarily prohibited the seeking of adjournments through letter circulation. Later, in February this year, the Court notified a new procedure for letter circulation, as per which, letters for adjournment will not be entertained in certain categories of cases, including those related to bail or anticipatory bail, where exemption from surrendering has been sought, matters where interim orders are in effect in favour of the party seeking time, and cases involving requests for suspension of sentence. Circulating adjournment letters in fresh and regular hearing matters has also been prohibited. However, in other matters, such letters can be circulated until one day before the publication of the main list.

Parties or counsel are permitted to circulate letters for adjournment only once, and two consecutive adjournments without court listing are not allowed. Matters adjourned under these guidelines will be listed before the court within a maximum of four weeks, with a specific date set for hearing.