Calcutta HC plans to reduce Puja holidays to only 7 days

The Calcutta High Court is considering a proposal to reduce the traditional Puja holiday by seven days starting in 2025, igniting widespread opposition among lawyer associations. The suggested change aims to increase the court’s operational days to meet the Supreme Court's goal of 222 working days each year, to reduce case backlogs and delays. Traditionally, the High Court has closed from Durga Puja’s Shasthi day until after Kali Puja, but under the new proposal, the holiday between Lakshmi Puja and Kali Puja would be shortened.

A special committee of four judges—Justices Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen, Jaimalya Bagchi, and Tapabrata Chakraborty—has recommended the change to meet the Supreme Court's directive. This committee met with three lawyers' associations to discuss the impact of the proposal. The Bar Association and the Bar Library voiced strong objections, with the Bar Association’s secretary, Shankarprasad Dalpati, arguing that simply increasing the number of working days without addressing judicial vacancies will not effectively address the backlog. The Calcutta High Court currently operates 210 days a year, below the Supreme Court’s directive of 222 days.

Dalpati emphasized that the Calcutta High Court is supposed to have 72 judges but currently has 20-22 vacancies, which he sees as a core issue in handling the backlog of cases. According to him, adding more working days alone will not fix the problem if the court remains understaffed. On the other hand, the Incorporated Law Society expressed its support for the committee’s recommendation, seeing it as a step toward reducing the overwhelming number of pending cases.

The Bar Association has proposed an alternative solution, suggesting that instead of cutting the Puja break, the High Court could observe holidays for Ram Navami and May Day, which are not currently recognized. They believe that addressing holiday schedules in this way would still maintain court productivity without interfering with the customary Puja leave.

The next step involves circulating the committee’s recommendations among all High Court judges for their input before it moves to a full court hearing for a final decision. This proposal to curtail Puja holidays marks a significant shift, breaking away from long-standing traditions in the Calcutta High Court. If implemented, it would reflect a broader effort to make India’s judicial system more efficient, but whether it will achieve that goal remains a matter of debate.