Judgment when and where pronounced
Full Text
(1) The Appellate Court, after hearing the parties or their pleaders and referring to any part of the proceedings, whether on appeal or in the Court from whose decree the appeal is preferred, to which reference may be considered necessary, shall pronounce judgment in open Court, either at once or on some future day of which notice shall be given to the parties or their pleaders.
(2) Where a written judgment is to be pronounced, it shall be sufficient if the points for determination, the decision thereon and the final order passed in the appeal are read out and it shall not be necessary for the Court to read out the whole judgment, but a copy of the whole judgment shall be made available for the perusal of the parties or their pleaders immediately after the judgment is pronounced.
Plain English Summary
Governs the pronouncement of appellate judgment in open court, permitting the court under sub-rule (2) to read out only the points for determination, findings, and operative order provided copies are made immediately available.
Key Legal Elements
- Pronouncement in Open Court: Fundamental principle of judicial transparency; judgment must be delivered in open court.
- Either at Once or on Future Day: If reserved, notice of the date of pronouncement must be given to counsel.
- Operative Portion Reading (Sub-rule 2): Inserted by 1976 Amendment; reading out points for determination, decisions thereon, and operative order satisfies statutory requirement.
- Immediate Copy Availability: Complete copy must be made accessible to counsel/parties immediately upon pronouncement.
Practical Note
Pronouncement Rules and Judicial Discipline: 1. Timely Pronouncement of Reserved Judgments: In Anil Rai v. State of Bihar (2001) 7 SCC 318, the Supreme Court laid down exhaustive guidelines regarding reserved judgments, holding that judgments should ordinarily be pronounced within one to two months from the date of concluding arguments. Unreasonable delay in pronouncing judgment after reserving it vitiates the confidence of litigants and may warrant rehearing. 2. Sub-rule (2) and Operative Orders: Reading the operative portion along with the points for determination in open court is sufficient compliance, eliminating the archaic need to read hundreds of pages of a lengthy appellate judgment.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) अपीलीय न्यायालय, पक्षकारों या उनके प्लीडरों को सुनने के पश्चात और कार्यवाहियों के किसी ऐसे भाग का संदर्भ लेने के पश्चात, चाहे अपील में या उस न्यायालय में जिसकी डिक्री के विरुद्ध अपील की गई है जिसका संदर्भ लेना आवश्यक समझा जाए, खुले न्यायालय में या तो तुरंत अथवा किसी भावी दिन, जिसकी सूचना पक्षकारों या उनके प्लीडरों को दी जाएगी, निर्णय सुनाएगा।
(2) जहां लिखित निर्णय सुनाया जाना है, वहां यह पर्याप्त होगा यदि अवधारण के बिंदु (Points for determination), उन पर विनिश्चय और अपील में पारित अंतिम आदेश पढ़कर सुना दिया जाए तथा न्यायालय के लिए पूरा निर्णय पढ़कर सुनाना आवश्यक नहीं होगा, किंतु निर्णय सुनाए जाने के तुरंत पश्चात संपूर्ण निर्णय की एक प्रति पक्षकारों या उनके प्लीडरों के अवलोकनार्थ उपलब्ध कराई जाएगी।