In an extraordinary move to clear judicial cobwebs, the Gujarat High Court has rolled up its sleeves and decided to clock in on Saturdays — not for ceremonial duties, but to dig into a backlog of criminal appeals that have been gathering dust for over a decade.
Between July and October, special benches — both Division and Single-Judge — will function on working Saturdays with one purpose: to hear appeals where convicts have already spent more than ten years behind bars waiting for a verdict on their challenge.
The Court made it clear that these criminal appeals will be yanked forward from their scheduled dates or pushed from their adjournments — no ifs, no buts. These cases will be flagged as “Targeted Matters,” and the relevant cause list will be made public the day before each working Saturday, marking a rare instance of the judicial calendar bending to the urgency of delayed justice.
One exception remains: the 100 oldest criminal appeals, already tethered to a “Wednesday Weekly List,” will continue their midweek journey, undisturbed.
July 5 saw the plan in motion, with nine Division Benches and three single-judge courts hearing appeals under the special Saturday arrangement — a clear signal that justice, though late, isn’t forgotten.
A formal notification from the High Court sets the tone — resolute and pragmatic. For convicts waiting in prison for a decade or more, Saturdays just became a day of hope.
