On his very first working day as the newly sworn-in Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant quietly reset a practice that lawyers often rely on-urgent oral mentioning. The atmosphere in Court No.1 this morning was steady but carried that first-day buzz. Lawyers tried to push for quick listings, but the CJI held the line, signalling a more disciplined system going forward.
Background
Just a day earlier, Justice Surya Kant had taken oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with top constitutional leaders present. His transition to the role has been closely watched, especially considering his long administrative experience-spanning his tenure as Advocate General of Haryana, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and later as Executive Chairman of NALSA.
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So, when a counsel rushed with an urgent demolition-related matter this morning, many in the courtroom were curious to see how the new CJI would respond.
Court’s Observations
The counsel mentioned that a canteen was about to be demolished and pressed hard for an urgent listing. Justice Kant, however, made it clear that courtroom interruptions for routine urgency were no longer welcome.
“The bench observed, ‘If you have any urgent mentioning, give your mentioning slip along with the cause of urgency. The registrar will examine it,’” he said, without raising his voice but leaving no ambiguity.
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When the lawyer insisted again, arguing that the matter was truly urgent, the CJI responded more firmly.
He explained, almost conversationally, that urgent oral mentioning would now be limited to the rarest of situations. “The bench observed, ‘Unless there are extraordinary circumstances-someone’s liberty, a death sentence, or something of that nature-we will not take oral mentions. Otherwise, please make a written slip.’”
The message landed clearly: the registry would now be the first checkpoint, and oral requests would be entertained only when delay could cause irreversible harm.
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Decision
In the end, the CJI declined to list the matter orally and directed the counsel to file a mentioning slip. The court made no exception, underscoring that only matters involving life, liberty, or extreme urgency would bypass the new written-slip norm.
Case Title: Urgent Mentioning Procedure Before CJI Surya Kant
Case Type: Administrative/Procedural Direction by Supreme Court Bench
Decision Date: 24 November 2025