Supreme Court: 2nd and 4th Saturdays to Be Working Days Again from July 14
Accidents While Commuting to Office Will Be Counted as 'On Duty' — Big Decision by Supreme Court
In a significant shift in the administrative functioning of the judiciary, the Ministry of Law and Justice has issued a fresh notification altering the weekly schedule of the Supreme Court of India. As per the newly introduced Supreme Court (Amendment) Rules, 2025, the Registry and associated offices of the apex court will now remain operational on all Saturdays—including the second and fourth Saturdays that were previously observed as off days. This change is slated to take effect from July 14, 2025, as officially published in the Gazette of India.
The revision falls under Order II, Rules 1 to 3 of the Supreme Court Rules and sets forth a new structure for working days and hours. Under the updated framework, the Supreme Court offices will function from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on all regular working days, excluding declared holidays and partial working days. However, there’s a caveat: urgent filings after 4:30 PM will be entertained only in exceptional circumstances on weekdays.
One of the most notable aspects of the amendment is the change in Saturday operations. From mid-July, all Saturdays will be considered working days, reversing the long-standing practice of having the second and fourth Saturdays off. On Saturdays, the office hours will be limited to 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and filings deemed urgent must be submitted before 12:00 noon to be accepted for processing.
In terms of special occasions such as Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, working hours will not follow a fixed schedule. Instead, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) will make a case-by-case decision and notify the altered timings accordingly. The complete text of the revised rules will be made accessible through the official websites of both the Supreme Court of India and the Ministry of Law and Justice for public reference.
In parallel with these reforms, the Supreme Court has also witnessed a transition in leadership. Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai officially took over as the 52nd Chief Justice of India on May 14, 2025, during a formal oath-taking ceremony administered by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Ganatantra Mandap. Justice Gavai, aged 64, was originally elevated to the apex court bench on May 24, 2019, and has since contributed to several pivotal judgments, including the historic verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370, which had earlier granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. His term as CJI is expected to last until November 23, 2025.
