Regulars in Justice Kathawalla’s court said he usually hears cases till 8.30 to 9 pm every day but on Monday and Wednesday, he stayed back hearing the matters past 11 pm. (File)
Even as the crowd in the Bombay High Court precincts started thinning past 5 pm like it does on weekdays, in the last one week, lawyers and litigants with cases in Courtroom No. 20 have been staying back, on some days until midnight. Even as clearing judicial backlog continues to be a challenge, Justice S J Kathawalla of the Bombay High Court seems determined to surmount it. With both litigating parties consenting, Justice Kathawalla has been hearing matters in his courtroom and chambers, starting 10 am, into the late hours of the evening.
On Wednesday, a notice issued by the Prothonotary and Senior Master was circulated among the members of the bar. The notice stated, “As per the direction of Hon’ble Shri Justice S J Kathawalla, advocates and parties are put to notice that after 5 pm, only those matters will be heard where the parties agree to proceed by consent. If either party is not present or is not inclined to consent, the matter will be placed on the next working day on the production board.”
Regulars in Justice Kathawalla’s court said he usually hears cases till 8.30 to 9 pm every day but on Monday and Wednesday, he stayed back hearing the matters past 11 pm.
While the court hours continue to be 11 am to 5 pm, some judges stay back past 5 pm on some days to complete hearing cases. However, lawyers who stayed back in court said to see the Gothic precincts come alive at night was quite an experience in itself. “It was a beautiful experience and I had never seen the building look so beautiful,” said lawyer Sujay Kanawala, who was among the lawyers present in Justice Kathawalla’s court past 11 pm.
Lawyer Neha Bhosale’s case was the last one to be called out in Justice Kathawalla’s chamber on the third floor on Wednesday. She said, “Justice Kathawalla was hearing the matter in the courtroom till 11.30 pm and our matter was the last one which was heard in the chamber till 11.52 pm. Justice Kathawalla did not take any break in the evening from 5 to 11.52pm.”
Eight staff members attached to Justice Kathawalla’s chambers have also been playing their part in accelerating justice delivery. Justice Kathawalla has been hearing arbitration and ad-interim matters till late in the evening. While some staff members live in the suburbs and late hearings may have meant a little less sleep on some days, members of the staff lauded Justice Kathawalla for his efforts.