The Supreme Court recently announced that it will no longer take up regular matters, which require lengthy final hearings, on Wednesdays and Thursdays—days traditionally reserved for such cases.

Instead, miscellaneous matters, including transfer petitions and bail applications, will now be heard on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, according to a circular issued by the Court on Saturday.

"Henceforth, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after notice miscellaneous matters, including Transfer Petitions and Bail Matters shall be listed and no regular hearing matter shall be listed on Wednesday and Thursday till further orders," the circular clarified.

Additionally, the circular specifies that special bench matters or part-heard cases—whether miscellaneous or regular—that are scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will be heard in the post-lunch session or as directed by the competent authority. This new arrangement will remain in effect until further notice.

This change marks the first significant reform under Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, who assumed office as the 51st CJI on November 11. The goal of this initiative is to address the backlog of cases at the Supreme Court, which currently stands at 83,410.