SC warns lawyers against casual adjournment requests

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over what it described as a growing pattern of lawyers seeking adjournments without meeting the legal requirements, and warned that such requests could lead to consequences, including compensatory costs under the Supreme Court Rules.

The observations came in a seven-page judgment authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi in a case where a lawyer had sought an adjournment on the basis of prior personal engagements.

The judgment said that, despite the existing legal framework, repeated reminders and the settled principle that adjournments are granted only when sufficient cause is shown, these standards were not being followed in practice.

The court added that it had noted with immense disappointment that the mandate governing adjournments was being increasingly disregarded by counsel.

Rejecting the reason put forward in the case before it, the order said a vague assertion of prior personal engagements could not amount to sufficient cause for adjournment under any sound legal reasoning. "If anything, it betrays a callous disregard for professional discipline and a troubling lack of appreciation of the responsibility that accompanies the privilege of audience before this court." the court stated.

Data shows repeated requests

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Afridi said official figures compiled by the court’s IT Directorate showed a troubling trend. According to the order, 653 adjournments were sought by advocates between January 2026 and March 2026.

The judgment said the more troubling aspect was that most of these requests were made even though the court had assembled and the matters were otherwise ready for hearing, resulting in judicial time going unused. "This data clearly reflects a pattern of casual, convenience-based requests made in disregard of binding rules and express cause-list warnings, which is not expected from advocates performing their duties at the apex level of our judicial system."

The court said the practice was entirely unacceptable and stressed that lawyers appearing not only before the Supreme Court but across Pakistan should understand the direct link between adjournments and the burden they place on the public exchequer.

Impact on litigants and justice system

The order further said unnecessary adjournments undermine access to justice. It observed that for litigants, especially those with limited financial means, repeated delays increase costs and effectively deny timely justice.

According to the judgment, such delays also weaken public confidence in the judicial system and run counter to the court’s institutional efforts aimed at ensuring the expeditious disposal of cases.

The Supreme Court made clear that adjournments sought without strict compliance with the legal framework and without demonstrable sufficient cause would invite appropriate consequences, including the imposition of compensatory costs in accordance with the Supreme Court Rules.