The Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, has constituted a Special Vacation Bench of the Supreme Court to hear cases requiring urgent judicial consideration during the upcoming winter vacation. According to the cause list uploaded on the Supreme Court’s official website, the Special Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi will assemble at 11 am on December 22, 2025.
The Bench will take up both criminal and civil matters that have been identified as warranting immediate attention due to the nature of relief sought or the potential consequences of any delay. The move aims to ensure that genuinely urgent cases are not left pending during the court’s winter recess.
The Supreme Court will remain closed for its winter vacation from December 22, 2025, to January 2, 2026, with regular court sittings scheduled to resume on January 5, 2026. The decision to convene a special sitting was taken to maintain continuity in judicial functioning and provide timely relief in pressing matters despite the vacation period.
On the final working day before the break, several advocates made oral mentions seeking urgent listing of their cases. Addressing the Bar, CJI Surya Kant assured that appropriate arrangements would be made for matters demonstrating real urgency. He clarified that the Supreme Court Registry would scrutinise the urgency of such mentions and list only those cases that merited immediate consideration before the Special Vacation Bench.
The Chief Justice also made it clear that advocates seeking urgent listing would themselves be responsible for arguing the matters. Junior members of the Bar who had mentioned cases were informed that they would be required to argue before the Special Bench, a step aimed at ensuring preparedness and maintaining procedural discipline.
Justice Kant further observed that the number of Benches sitting during the vacation would depend on the volume and nature of cases found fit for urgent listing. He remarked that he did not wish to burden other judges during the vacation, particularly those who had already spent late nights studying case files. The objective, he noted, was to strike a balance between institutional responsibility and judicial efficiency.
On Friday, a three-judge Bench comprising the CJI, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi also observed that several matters mentioned as urgent did not disclose any real immediacy and could wait until January or even April 2026.
