CJI Surya Kant called for more responsive procedures to identify and list urgent cases. The proposed review seeks timely justice without undermining the institutional autonomy of High Courts.Kochi,Nov 1, 2026 17:06 ISTChief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday called for a review of judicial processes amid a growing tendency among litigants to approach the Supreme Court for urgent listing or early hearings of cases pending before High Courts, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Speaking at the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Kerala High Court in Kochi, CJI Kant said the Supreme Court has consistently respected the institutional autonomy of High Courts, including their authority to regulate their rosters.

However, he said the frequency of such requests raised questions about whether judicial processes could be made more responsive.“We must ask ourselves — can urgent matters be identified more effectively? Can listing procedures be made more transparent and predictable?

Can technology assist in prioritising cases where delay may cause irreversible prejudice?” he said.“And can we ensure that a litigant's access to timely justice does not depend upon their ability to travel to the national capital?” he asked during his inaugural address. Justice Kant said constitutional justice in India does not begin and end in New Delhi.

Its strength, he said, lies in a robust network of 25 constitutional High Courts across the country, “each entrusted with the duty of protecting rights and upholding the rule of law”.High Courts remain closely connected to people's everyday realities as they understand local grievances, the circumstances of regional communities and the practical consequences of government action, he said. Under Article 226 of the Constitution, High Courts have a wide scope “to fashion meaningful remedies across diverse legal, statutory, administrative and contractual disputes”, he said.“Equally important is their power to grant timely interim protection.

Sometimes, the difference between justice and injustice lies not in the final judgment, but in whether the court intervenes when intervention is most needed,” the CJI said, according to PTI.Referring to the Kerala High Court's seven-decade history, Justice Kant said the court and the state of Kerala were both formed in 1956 and their journeys over the past 70 years had been closely intertwined. He said the court had played a vital role in the state's constitutional development.“Through its decisions, it has helped translate constitutional principles into lived realities, ensuring that the rights and liberties of citizens remain protected and that public power is exercised within the bounds of law,” he said.The CJI said the Kerala High Court's history did not begin with the formation of the state.

It inherited a centuries-old “rich judicial tradition” from the regions that now constitute Kerala.“From the early courts of Travancore and Cochin, to the establishment of the Travancore High Court in 1887 and the Travancore-Cochin High Court in 1949, each successive institution contributed to the foundations upon which the present Court was built,” Justice Kant said.He said the High Court's progressive spirit was evident in its constitutional jurisprudence. “Whether through its extensive engagement with doctrines of environmental protection, or its invocation of fundamental rights to safeguard life and personal liberty, this High Court has repeatedly demonstrated that constitutional promises must find expression in everyday realities,” he said.The CJI cited the High Court's 1999 order prohibiting smoking in public places, saying it was the first constitutional court in the world to issue such an order.“It was a remarkable instance of constitutional foresight, where the Court did not wait for society to catch up with the law, but used the law to show society the way forward,” he said.Justice Kant said Kerala had long shown that progress could be sustained through the combined strength of education, social awareness and public participation.Comparing India's constitutional courts to Kerala's backwaters, he said countless streams and waterways sustain one interconnected ecosystem. Similarly, constitutional courts must retain their individual authority while working together towards a shared purpose.The CJI's address focused on improving the timely listing of urgent cases while preserving the autonomy of High Courts, and highlighted the Kerala High Court's role in protecting rights and shaping the state's constitutional development.- Ends