“Lack of Consultation Has Caused Genuine Hardship”: DHCBA Objects to Delhi High Court’s Working Saturdays Order
DHCBA Objects to Delhi High Court’s Working Saturdays Order
The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) has expressed “deep concern and disquiet” over a recent notification resolving that each Bench of the Delhi High Court will observe one working Saturday every month during the 2025 calendar year.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya, the Bar Association said the decision had been taken without consulting the Bar, despite advocates being indispensable to court functioning.
“Since the functioning of Courts necessarily involves the active participation of Advocates, the absence of any consultation with the Bar has caused genuine hardship and a sense of exclusion,” the DHCBA said.
While emphasising that the Association “holds the highest regard for the decisions of the Full Court and fully supports all initiatives aimed at improving judicial efficiency and reducing pendency,” the letter noted that “the Bar was neither consulted nor informed before such a decision was taken.”
Signed by DHCBA President and Senior Advocate N. Hariharan, the representation warned that under the present arrangement, members of the Bar would be required to remain available on different Saturdays for various Benches, effectively compelling lawyers to work on multiple weekends.
“This would lead to practical inconvenience and considerable difficulty for Advocates and will disrupt work-life balance and impose disproportionate burdens on the members of the Bar,” the letter stated, highlighting the lack of uniformity and predictability in the schedule.
The Association has requested that the notification be “kept in abeyance.” Alternatively, it proposed that “the sittings may be held on one fixed Saturday for all Benches to facilitate convenience and predictability.”
Highlighting its commitment to judicial cooperation, the DHCBA added that it remains confident that this representation will receive Your Lordship’s due consideration.
Date: 29 October 2025
Letter: Delhi High Court Bar Association