Patna High Court has worst adjournment culture, I have witnessed it: Supreme Court judge Justice MR Shah

Supreme Court judge Justice MR Shah Friday said that the Patna High Court has a very bad culture of adjourning cases. .Prior to being elevated to the Supreme Court, Justice Shah had served as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.During that time, he experienced the adjournment culture first hand, the judge said. "Patna has this worst adjournment culture. I have witnessed it, been its victim. Lawyers keep asking to adjourn, what will the poor judges do," he remarked. .The top court has time and again taken a poor view of unnecessary adjournments. .Just recently, a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli lamented the practice of adjournments being sought by lawyers who come to court without preparing to argue the case.They had said that such practice leads to delay in justice delivery.The remarks were made after a lawyer of a person languishing in jail for over eleven years, sought an adjournment citing the absence of the arguing counsel."Read the papers [of the case]. Sometimes lawyers are only obstructing justice. We read briefs and hear till 5 pm, you cannot read in 5 minutes and argue your case?" Justice Chandrachud had remarked..Earlier this year, the CJI had called for a change in the way lawyers work in the Supreme Court, asking them to realise that the Court's time is valuable.He had made the remark when a lawyer appearing before him sought adjournment in a case."You have to change the style of working in the Supreme Court. Judges read briefs and then lawyers don't argue," he said."Lawyers complain that matters are not listed, but seek adjournment when their cases come up," the judge stated, adding that adjournment can be sought only on account of COVID-19 or a bereavement in the family, and not otherwise.