The Supreme Court of India has officially released its 2026 annual calendar, revealing that the Court will have only 219 full working days out of 365 — a statistic that has once again ignited debate about judicial efficiency amid the country’s massive case backlog.
According to the calendar, the Court’s Summer Vacation (Partial Court Working Days) will begin on Monday, June 1, 2026, with the Full Court resuming regular sittings on Monday, July 13, 2026. During this period, the Registry will remain functional except on weekends and notified holidays.
Major Festival Breaks Announced
The calendar also includes extended holidays for key festivals:
Holi: March 2–7, 2026 (Holi on March 4)
Dussehra: October 19–24, 2026 (Dussehra on October 20)
Diwali: November 9–14, 2026 (Diwali on November 8)
Other major national holidays — Republic Day, Independence Day, Good Friday, and Gandhi Jayanti — are also included.
The Larger Concern: Courts on Break, Cases Pile Up
India’s judiciary is currently burdened with over 5.3 crore pending cases, while 29% of High Court judgeships and 19% of district court posts remain vacant. Critics argue that such prolonged vacations and partial working periods slow down justice delivery even further.
The irony has not gone unnoticed:
🔔🚨 Supreme Court’s 2026 calendar is out, only 219 full working days out of 365 🤡
— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) November 18, 2025
~ Partial court days, long vacations, endless breaks… while 5.3 CRORE cases rot, 29% HC & 19% district posts lie vacant.
A judge may take a holiday, but a judiciary simply cannot. Agree? pic.twitter.com/yCYXQGjpie
