Delhi High Court Makes First and Third Saturdays Official Working Days

The Delhi High Court has officially decided that the first and third Saturdays of every month will now be regular working days. This change marks a clear shift from the earlier practice where Saturdays were usually court holidays, except in special situations.

The decision was taken by the Full Court of the Delhi High Court during its meeting held on December 22, 2025, and the notification was issued on January 15, 2026.

This new arrangement builds on an earlier step taken in 2025. At that time, the Court had asked each Bench to sit on one Saturday every month to speed up the disposal of pending cases. The present decision formalises and expands that approach by fixing two Saturdays every month as official sitting days.

However, the move has not been free from criticism. The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) had earlier strongly objected to the Saturday working policy. The Bar argued that lawyers were not consulted before introducing the arrangement and said it affected work–life balance and created practical difficulties. The Association had requested the Court to either pause the policy or fix a single uniform Saturday for all Benches instead of different schedules.

Despite these concerns, the High Court has now confirmed that court work will continue on the first and third Saturdays each month as part of its effort to tackle case pendency more effectively.