Today, the Supreme Court sharply criticized recent comments about its vacation schedule and the working hours of its judges.

A Vacation Bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, appeared dissatisfied by a recent statement from economist Sanjeev Sanyal, who allegedly claimed that judges in India have short working hours and take extended vacations.

"Very unfortunately, despite efforts being put in by judges it is said that judges work for very few hours. Those who say all this are part of governance; not one matter filed by Union (government) etc is filed within limitation. Every case has a condonation of delay application. All who castigate judiciary must take note of this. We burn the midnight oil even during the vacations," Justice Datta said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the Central government's second senior law officer, was present in court and concurred with the Bench's observation. Mehta stated that the Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the country and operates with the longest and most demanding working hours.

Senior Advocate and Supreme Court Bar Association president Kapil Sibal also weighed in, asserting that the top court is among the most overworked courts. This brief exchange occurred after the Bench declined to entertain a plea from jailed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was challenging his arrest in a money-laundering case.

Another Bench of the Supreme Court recently remarked that critics of court vacations fail to recognize that judges often do not get to enjoy weekends. The Court noted that vacations provide essential time for judges to draft lengthy judgments.