Lawyers don’t want to work during vacation but judiciary blamed for backlog of case: CJI Gavai
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Wednesday said lawyers don't want to work during vacation but the judiciary is blamed for the backlog of cases.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih got miffed when a lawyer urged listing of a petition after the summer vacation.
“The first five judges are sitting through the vacation and continuing to work, yet we are blamed for the backlog. In reality, it is the lawyers who are unwilling to work during the vacations,” the CJI said.
Recently, the top court issued a notification on the benches that will function during the upcoming summer vacation, rechristened as "partial court working days", from May 26 to July 13.
Significantly, there will be two to five vacation benches sitting during the partial court working days and even top five judges, including the CJI, will be holding courts during this period.
According to earlier practice, there used to be only two vacation benches during the summer vacation, and senior judges were not supposed to hold courts.
The notification outlined the weekly allocation of justices across benches.
From May 26 to June 1, the CJI, Justices Suryakant, Vikram Nath J K Maheshwari and B V Nagarathna will be heading the five benches respectively.
During this period, the apex court registry will remain open from 10 am to 5 pm for all officers and staff.
The registry will be closed on all Saturdays (except July 12), Sundays, and public holidays.
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New Zealand women's captain Sophie Devine to retire from ODIs after World Cup
Auckland, Jun 17 (PTI): New Zealand women's team captain and prolific all-rounder Sophie Devine will retire from the ODIs after the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka later this year.
The 35-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most prolific all-rounders in women's cricket, having amassed 3990 runs from 152 ODIs at an average of 31.66 with the help of eight centuries. She has also scored 3431 runs from 146 T20Is with one century.
She has also taken 107 and 119 wickets in the ODIs and T20Is respectively. She, however, has not played in any Test.
"It feels like the right time for me to start stepping away. I feel very fortunate to have NZC’s support in finding a solution that means I can still give to the WHITE FERNS," said Devine in a statement issued by New Zealand Cricket on Tuesday.
Devine's statement came ahead of the announcement of the 17 centrally contracted players by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Wednesday. She will remain available for T20I cricket on a "casual playing arrangement" but will not be centrally contracted.
"It's important that everyone knows I'm focused and dedicated to giving this group everything I can before I step away. I'm really excited by where this young group’s going and I'm looking forward to playing my part in the next six to nine months."
Her decision to retire after the ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2 came after Devine took a break from cricket to prioritise her mental health in January. She will lead the team in the ODI World Cup in September.
Devine was permanent captain of the White Ferns in 2020, and has since led the team to new heights, including a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and a maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup victory last year.
NZC's head of women's high performance Liz Green said Devine had the organisation's full support.
"Sophie's given nearly 20 years of service to the White Ferns and NZC is fully supportive of her quest to find more balance at this stage in her career," Green said.
"We're pleased to be able to reach an agreement that means she can continue to be involved with the White Ferns on a case-by-case basis, whilst opening up the opportunity for another player to be contracted in full."
NZC Chief Executive Scott Weenink praised Devine’s contribution to the White Ferns.
"Sophie has been an extraordinary leader and ambassador for the WHITE FERNS. Supporting her move to a casual playing agreement will allow her to continue contributing to the WHITE FERNS environment," he said.
The White Ferns are scheduled to begin their World Cup campaign against seven-time champions Australia on October 1 in Indore.
