The Supreme Court's decision to reinstate 2nd and 4th Saturdays as working days from July 14, 2025, reverses a 2013 policy allowing up to 103 non-working days annually

The Supreme Court's decision to reinstate 2nd and 4th Saturdays as working days from July 14, 2025, reverses a 2013 policy allowing up to 103 non-working days annually, aiming to optimize administrative efficiency as per the amended Order II, Rules 1-3 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013.

This shift aligns with a 2024 Gazette notification and a July 2024 adjustment of court hours to 10 AM - 5 PM, reflecting a broader trend of judicial workload management, though it contrasts with the government's earlier stance against increasing working days.

The change may address a reported backlog of 88,000 cases (per 2023 National Judicial Data Grid), though no peer-reviewed studies directly link such scheduling to case clearance rates, suggesting potential benefits tempered by implementation challenges.