Recent sworn in India’s Chief Justice Sanijv Khanna agreed on Monday (11 November) to consider a request by a lawyer to allow the practice of seeking adjournments by circulating the letter. The CJI also agreed to consider the request for publication of physical causes.

Last December, the Supreme Court was temporarily banned requesting postponements by circulation of letters. Later, in February of this year, the Court notified a the new procedure for the circulation of letters, according to which letters of adjournment will not be received in certain categories of cases, including those relating to bail or anticipatory bail, in which relief from surrender has been sought, matters in which interim orders are in force in favor of the requesting party of time and cases involving applications for suspension of sentence. The circulation of adjournment letters in new and regular hearing matters was also prohibited. However, in other matters, such letters may be circulated up to a day before the publication of the main list.

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