Supreme Court Observer

☀️Good morning 👨🏻‍⚖️“The Year of Three Chiefs”- From rising pendency to fewer Constitution Benches, reporter Namrata Banerjee looks back at the Supreme Court's 2025. Read the desk brief here: https://bit.ly/4jnlww8 ⚖️ It's the season for our thematic year-ender reviews. Here are the ones we've published so far: Bail: https://bit.ly/3KQvbyq Democracy and governance: https://bit.ly/3LeGPDb Constitution Bench decisions: https://bit.ly/3Nm7VsE Collegium: https://bit.ly/4qssVfN Freedom of speech: https://bit.ly/4qoUSVD

🍃 Good Morning! 👨🏻‍⚖️ Commentary: A brief history of the Union’s repeated attempts to change the tribunals law—and how the Court has addressed this executive creep. Read more: https://bit.ly/4qfjVdG ⚖️ In the first of our year-ender review articles, we highlight notable SC verdicts that walked the tightrope of jail and bail: https://bit.ly/3KQvbyq 🗣️ How much discretion does the Speaker have in the judicial impeachment process? We explore the question through the lens of two recent motions: https://bit.ly/3L58aYx

🌇 Good Morning 👨🏻‍⚖️ We kicked off our 2025 year-ender series with a review of the Court's notable verdicts on bail: https://bit.ly/3KQvbyq ⚖️ What the career of advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, who died last week, tells us about the Supreme Court: https://bit.ly/4pS7tkm 🗃️ In November 2025, pendency inched closer to 91000. How did the Court get here? More: http://bit.ly/4oYSMuK

Good Morning 🌅 ⚖️ Public-spirited advocate Manohar Lal Sharma died on 19 December. We look at what his career tells us about the Supreme Court: https://bit.ly/4pS7tkm 🗃️ As the year ends, pendency has inched closer to 91,000 cases. The backlog grew by 444 cases in November, reaching 90,694. Our report: http://bit.ly/4oYSMuK 👨🏻‍⚖️ In the latest edition of SCOLR, we cover five key judgements of the Supreme Court from last week: https://bit.ly/4jk0ZbK

☀️ Good Morning 🏥 Recently, the Supreme Court heard a passive euthanasia case from a patient in a permanent vegetative state. The Court will determine what constitutes “life-supporting treatment” in the context of passive euthanasia: https://bit.ly/4pbblMq ⚖️ In our latest commentary, Douglas McDonald-Norman and Arun K. Thiruvengadam write about the Tribunal Reforms judgement. They cover a brief history of the Union’s repeated attempts to change the tribunals law—and how the Court has addressed this executive creep: https://bit.ly/4qfjVdG 📰 Vol 12 Issue 4 of SCO.LR is out, featuring key judgements on leading questions in cross-examination, arbitration, endangered species and more: https://bit.ly/4jk0ZbK

Good morning 🌞 🗃️ As the year closes, pendency has inched closer to 91000 cases. The backlog grew by 444 cases in November, reaching 90,694. Read more: http://bit.ly/4oYSMuK 💉 In our latest desk brief, we cover a recent case that puts the Supreme Court’s 2018 passive euthanasia guidelines to their first real test. The Court will likely hear arguments on whether feeding tubes constitute ‘life-supporting treatment’. More: https://bit.ly/3MOAChV 👟On 14 November, a two-judge Bench dismissed an appeal filed by Bata and the other defendants against shoe company Crocs. By doing so, the Supreme Court missed an opportunity to clarify a key question of design and trademark law. Read: https://bit.ly/3YvhI22

🌇 Good morning! 👨‍⚖On 16 December, in Justice Varma’s case, the SC raised a question about limits to the Speaker’s discretion in deciding an impeachment motion. The recent motion against Justice Swaminathan may bring this imbalance into focus. Read: https://bit.ly/3L58aYx 😷 During a recent hearing on Delhi pollution, the Bench clarified that the restraint on authorities from taking coercive steps against specific vehicles operates only in respect of vehicles conforming to BS-IV and newer emission standards. Full hearing report: https://bit.ly/4aimiIb 👟"On 14 November 2025, in the case of Crocs vs Bata, the two-judge Bench missed an opportunity to clarify a key question of design and trademark law." IP lawyer Aparajita Lath's commentary: https://bit.ly/3YvhI22

🌇 Good morning! 👟On 14 November a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court dismissed shoe-manufacturer Bata’s appeal in a trademark dispute with Crocs, which sued Bata for design infringement. In our latest commentary, Aparajita Lath writes that the Court missed an opportunity to resolve key questions of design and trademark law: https://bit.ly/3YvhI22 😷 Yesterday the Supreme Court declined to interfere with the temporary closure of primary schools in Delhi in response to rising AQI levels. The Court described it as a policy decision and heard submissions on stipends for construction workers and closure of toll booths on highways: https://bit.ly/4aimiIb 🗃 Today the Court will hear arguments by the Election Commission in the challenge to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. In the previous hearing the Court declined to rely on news reports of mass deletion notices: https://bit.ly/3L3J8Ji

🌇 Good morning! 🚨 Yesterday, the Supreme Court gave the Union more time to respond and adjourned the hearing of the petition that alleged the disappearance of a family of five Rohingya persons. Our newsletter tells you more about the case: https://bit.ly/44pyfIo 🗳 On Day 20 of the challenge to Bihar's SIR, the Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard submissions by petitioners on reports of large-scale deletion notices. Our hearing report: https://bit.ly/3L3J8Ji 🗃 In November 2025, the Supreme Court pendency inched closer to 91000. This trend is in line with our previous assessment that the Court is facing a looming pendency crisis. More: http://bit.ly/4oYSMuK

🌞 Good morning! 🕰 On Dec 2, the Supreme Court heard a habeas corpus plea alleging the disappearance of five Rohingya persons. The petitioner argued that deportation processes risk unlawful transfer or trafficking: https://bit.ly/44pyfIo 📰 Vol 12 Issue 3 of SCOLR is out, featuring key judgements on judicial review, bail, taxation, ICC jurisdiction in POSH cases, and compassionate appointments: https://bit.ly/4aRRE8G 📈 Our latest video explains the Constitution Bench decision that laid down binding guidelines on the progression of judges in the district judiciary. Watch here: https://bit.ly/3L043wO

*Correction:* Today's morning update incorrectly stated that Umar Khalid was granted bail from 16-26 December 2025. Khalid's bail is from *16-29 December 2025*. The error is regretted.

🌞 Good morning! 🕰 As the year ends, pendency has inched closer to 91000 cases. The backlog grew by 444 cases in November, reaching a total of 90,694. More here: http://bit.ly/4oYSMuK 📈 Delhi's Karkardooma Court has granted interim bail to Umar Khalid from 16-26 December to attend his sister’s wedding. Our tracker has the complete timeline of his bail proceedings across courts: https://bit.ly/4pC8ddm 🗳 The Supreme Court has heard 19 days of arguments in the challenge to the Bihar SIR. Meanwhile, the Bihar elections have concluded under the revised roll. As the exercise continues in 9 other states, we look at the time lag between adjudication and action: https://bit.ly/4iU0LYr

🪴 Good morning! 🗳️ Yesterday, petitioners argued that the Election Commission has misunderstood its constitutional role and approached the SIR from a position of suspicion rather than facilitation. More: https://bit.ly/4iU0LYr 📈 The Karkardooma Court in Delhi has granted Umar Khalid interim bail from 16 to 26 December to attend his sister’s wedding. Our bail tracker has the full timeline of his bail proceedings across courts: https://bit.ly/4pC8ddm 📕 Marking 75 years of India’s constitutional journey, V. Krishna Ananth’s book traces how State power, political movements and institutional choices have shaped the Constitution as a living document. Review: //bit.ly/4pwyDgJ

🌻 Good morning! 👮‍♂ Yesterday, the Court reserved judgement in Umar Khalid’s bail application. The Delhi Police relied on speeches, chats, meetings, CDR records and witness statements to argue that the riots conspiracy was planned months earlier. The Bench questioned whether the speeches meet the definition of a terrorist act under the UAPA: https://bit.ly/4a44h05 📈Follow our bail tracker for a full timeline of Khalid’s bail proceedings across courts: https://bit.ly/4pC8ddm 🗳 The Court will continue hearing the challenge to Bihar SIR today. In the previous hearing, petitioners argued that the SIR is being carried out with haste and opacity. They pointed to repeated deletions made without the inquiry and hearing required under the 1960 Rules: https://bit.ly/3KqeOI

🌞 Good Morning! 🕰 On Day 18 of the challenge to Bihar's SIR, petitioners argued that the constitutional scheme and the Representation of the People Act does not empower the ECI to determine the citizenship status of voters. The burden of proving of non-citizenship is on the state. Report: https://bit.ly/4iMbXq9 👮‍♂️ Today the Delhi police is expected to argue against the bail applications filed by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others accused in the 2020 Delhi Riots. Petitioners concluded their arguments challenging the prolonged custody and repeated supplementary chargesheet filed against the accused activists. Report: https://bit.ly/3Mnt71f 💨 The Court will hear the Delhi air-pollution matter today. Previously, the Court asked why stubble burning is being politicised and pressed authorities to show what their action plans have delivered. Our report: https://bit.ly/4oW8O8M

🌞 Good morning! 🕰️ The Supreme Court has heard 17 days of arguments in the challenge to the Bihar SIR. With the state elections now concluded under the revised roll and the exercise continuing in nine other states, the question is whether adjudication can keep pace with time-bound administrative steps: https://bit.ly/4rKeiWG 🗓️November saw the Court issue its opinion on a Presidential Reference and the beginning of CJI Surya Kant’s long tenure. Our monthly review: https://bit.ly/3KHo5Ml 🗂 The latest issue of SCO.LR is out — featuring key judgements on stamp duty exemptions, dying declarations, GST on residential buildings, the Muslim Women Act and disability rights: https://bit.ly/4iFI5e

🌞 Good morning! 🕰 The Supreme Court has heard 17 days of arguments in the challenge to the Bihar SIR. Meanwhile, the Bihar elections have concluded under the revised roll. As the exercise continues in 9 other states, we explore the gaps between adjudication and time-sensitive administrative action: https://bit.ly/4rKeiWG 🌿Advoate Gulnar A. Mistry reviews the Vanashakti judgement, analysing how the Court’s reasoning risks reducing binding statutory safeguards to optional directions: https://bit.ly/4iIexgR ⚖ Two weeks into CJI Surya Kant’s tenure, how is he setting the tone for his 14-month term? Read to find out: https://bit.ly/4pZokl7

🌞 Good morning 📕Reflecting on 75 years of India’s constitutional journey, V. Krishna Ananth’s book illuminates how State power, popular movements and institutional negotiations have reshaped the living document. Read the book review here: https://bit.ly/48v56fT 📑 Yesterday, the Bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi stressed on the State's role in easing hardships for Booth Level Officers involved in the SIR exercise. Hearing report: https://bit.ly/4pk3oW5 🚨This week, the Court adjourned the bail plea of Umar Khalid and others arrested in the 2020 Delhi Riots conspiracy case to 10 December. Khalid has been in prison for more than five years. We track the timeline of his bail applications: https://bit.ly/4iX4u7T

🌄 Good Morning! 🌳 In our latest commentary, Advocate Gulnar A. Mistry explains how the Court upended settled legal principles and effectively reversed the rule of precedents by upholding retrospective environmental clearances in the Vanashakti review: https://bit.ly/48P2oTM ⏪ The Supreme Court’s decision in Vanashakti reversed a ruling by another Bench. This raises an important question: is this an anomaly or part of a broader pattern? Our commentary examines similar reversals by coordinate benches over the past six months: https://bit.ly/44prRAX 👨🏻‍⚖ What has the Court itself said on this? A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Masih recently observed that this emerging trend of overturning earlier verdicts poses a threat to the finality guaranteed under Article 141: https://bit.ly/3XrvdPP

🍀Good morning! 🗳️ In the challenge to the SIR in Bihar, the Supreme Court cautioned petitioners from making “sweeping assertions” against the Election Commission: https://bit.ly/44HrsJW ⚖️ Petitioners in the Delhi riots case argued yesterday that prolonged custody cannot rest on speeches alone, pointing to years of delay, multiple supplementary chargesheets, and the absence of any act tying them to the violence: https://bit.ly/4pjEWnC 📚 A deep dive into CJI Gavai’s final week shows a Court repeatedly revisiting its own judgments, raising questions about finality of a judicial verdict: https://bit.ly/44prRAX 🗂️ The latest issue of SCO.LR is out, covering judgements on arbitration, auction-sale objections, finality of decisions, cheque-dishonour and bail on parity: https://bit.ly/3Y7pJtG