The Supreme Court of India has officially announced the establishment of 23 benches to adjudicate cases during its upcoming summer vacation. This period of partial court activity is scheduled from June 1 to July 12, 2023. The initiative, directed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, aims to ensure the continued administration of justice, even during the traditional recess.
Scheduled Benches and Their Composition
From June 1 to June 7, four benches will be operational. The first bench comprises Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale, followed by Justices PS Narasimha and Aravind Kumar. The third bench includes Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, while the fourth features Justices Sanjay Karol and Augustine George Masih.
In the subsequent week, from June 8 to June 14, three benches will be in session. These will be led by Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Atul S Chandurkar, Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and PB Varale, and Justices Augustine George Masih and Vijay Bishnoi.
From June 15 to June 21, four additional benches will be active. This includes a bench with CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, followed by Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Vipul M Pancholi, Justices SVN Bhatti and Atul S Chandurkar, and Justices Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi.
The week spanning June 22 to June 28 will see four more benches at work. Initially, Justices BV Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi will preside until June 25, succeeded by Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and NV Anjaria. Further benches include Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Sandeep Mehta, and Justices SVN Bhatti and Vipul M Pancholi.
During the period from June 29 to July 5, four benches will continue to hear cases. They will be composed of Justices MM Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran, Justices KV Viswanathan and Manmohan, Justices N Kotiswar Singh and NV Anjaria, and Justices R Mahadevan and Alok Aradhe.
The final week of this special arrangement, from July 6 to July 12, will also feature four benches. Presiding over these will be Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan, Justices Manoj Misra and Manmohan, Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe, and Justices N Kotiswar Singh and K Vinod Chandran.
Registry and Staff Operations
During this period, the Supreme Court’s Registry will maintain operations from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on all working days, excluding Saturdays (except July 11), Sundays, and public holidays. Additionally, Group-C (non-clerical) staff will have extended working hours from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM on these partial working days.
More Read
Regular court functions are scheduled to resume from July 13, ensuring a seamless transition back to full operations. For those interested, the full notification can be accessed on the official Supreme Court website.
