In a sharp message to the bar, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday announced that the Apex Court will begin imposing at least Rs 50,000 in costs on lawyers who make unjustified or non-urgent oral mentioning requests. The directive, to take effect from Monday, signals a stricter regime aimed at curbing routine disruptions and restoring discipline in priority-listing practices.
The warning comes weeks after the Court, under the new CJI, issued a circular restricting out-of-turn oral mentions, permitting them only in cases of extreme urgency and strictly after completing the formal procedure. Despite this, the bench continued witnessing frequent requests for priority listing, prompting concerns that casual mentioning was being misused to bypass the automated urgent-listing system.
The bar’s persistent insistence on exceptions triggered a clash between judicial discipline and the culture of convenience that had become common in the court corridors.
Taking a firm stand, the CJI made it clear that unnecessary interruptions would no longer be tolerated, remarking, “If there is a mentioning that I do not find genuine, I will impose costs then and there.” He added that a formal circular will soon prescribe a minimum cost of ₹50,000 for improper mentioning, with the collected amount being channelled into a fund for young lawyers and professional training programmes. The operative directive: non-urgent oral mentions will now carry financial consequences upfront.
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