Supreme Court judges have taken the weekend off for a two-day trip to Ranthambore National Park which was planned in a manner to coincide with the holiday on Sunday. The Rajasthan High Court in coordination with the State administration has made the necessary arrangements for the trip.
According to sources,around twenty Supreme Court judges left Delhi in three buses late in the evening on September 12 (Friday) and will return on September 14, Sunday.The trip, informally dubbed "Delhi to Ranthambore" in a light-hearted reference to the 1972 Bollywood film Bombay to Goa, marked the first time in recent memory that such a large group of Supreme Court judges embarked on an excursion together.
According to sources ,at 2:40 pm, two specially arranged buses departed from the Supreme Court's Additional Building in New Delhi under police escort. On board were 20 judges, accompanied by their spouses. Among them were CJI Gavai and Justice Surya Kant, who is in line to become the next Chief Justice.The remaining 14 judges of the top court did not join the family retreat. Sources said the gathering was designed as a relaxed, picnic-style outing initiated by CJI Gavai himself.
Ranthambore National Park is one of the biggest and most renowned national parks in Northern India. The park is located in the Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, which is about 130 km from Jaipur.Earlier this year, former CJI Sanjiv Khanna had led a similar two-day retreat with 24 judges to Visakhapatnam.
The Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, along with 24 other Supreme Court judges, planned a holiday in Andhra Pradesh this weekend. The group, including their spouses, visited Vishakhapatnam and Araku Valley from January 11 to 14.However, the trip was described as an informal gathering during the Court's vacation period.Such breaks are aimed at allowing judges and their families to relax together. Such visits usually are not funded by the Court nor seen as official visits.
Pertinently , Supreme Court (SC) judges in India take regular breaks, with the most significant being the summer vacation, lasting about six to seven weeks, and other shorter breaks like the Dussehra and Diwali holidays, and a winter break. While "vacation" is the traditional term, the court redefines this period as "Partial Working Days" where some judges remain to hear urgent matters and handle the workload. The Supreme Court's Rules allow the Chief Justice to fix the length of vacations, with the goal of ensuring the court operates for a specific number of days annually.
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