Supreme Court seeks info from High Courts on dates of pronouncement and publication of judgments on website

The Supreme Court on Friday directed all High Courts to submit reports detailing the dates of pronouncement of judgments and the dates when those judgments were published on the respective court websites [M/s Marion Biotech Pvt. Ltd. v. High Court of Judicature at Allahabad]..A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh was hearing a plea seeking the pronouncement of judgment in a case where the verdict had been reserved in July 2024 by the Allahabad High Court.The petitioner had moved the High Court against cancellation of its manufacturing license by the Drug Licensing and Controlling Authority of Uttar Pradesh. The license was revoked following allegations that eighteen children in Uzbekistan had died after consuming Dok-1 Max Syrup, a product manufactured by the company.The petitioner-company submitted that it was compelled to approach the Supreme Court since all attempts to expedite the hearing and disposal of its petition before the lower forums had been unsuccessful."Issue notice. In continuation of our earlier order dated 05.05.2025, the Registrar Generals of all High Courts are further directed to submit details regarding the date of pronouncement of judgments and the date when such judgments are uploaded," the Supreme Court ordered.The apex court had on May 5 called for reports from all High Courts on cases pending before them where a judgment is yet to be pronounced despite the matter having been reserved for a verdict on or before January 31, 2025.The Court in that case had ordered Registrar Generals of all High Courts to furnish a report on the same within four weeks..In the present case, the petitioner-company contended that while the statute does not stipulate a strict timeline for the pronouncement of reserved judgments except to encourage their early disposal, the inordinate and undue delay in delivering verdicts was causing more harm than good to the institution.It was argued that such delays not only fuel speculation but also lead to a sense of disillusionment among litigants.In this backdrop, the petitioner urged the Court to issue a direction to Allahabad High Court to pronounce the judgement pending before it in the interest of justice. The apex court issued notice in the case and sought response from the Allahabad High Court in the matter.The Court listed the case for hearing next on July 21..Advocate Deeplaxmi Subhash Matwankar appeared for the petitioner-company..[Read Live Coverage]