Polity · 15 Jul 2026

Supreme Court 24x7 SOP judicial access

With reference to the Supreme Court's recent consideration of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for out-of-hours access to constitutional courts, which one of the following statements is correct?

AThe Solicitor General argued that the SOP should be issued as a judicial order by the Supreme Court, binding uniformly on all High Courts
BThe petition was filed by Advocate Maheravish Rein, seeking access to courts outside normal working hours in cases involving illegal detention, sudden demolitions, deportation or custodial violence
CThe Bench unanimously stayed all existing court-hour restrictions until a codified SOP is framed and notified
DThe 2015 stay plea in the Kasab case was cited before the Bench as the historical precedent for institutionalised late-night judicial access
This question is based on: SC Weighs 24x7 SOP for Life-and-Liberty Cases - But Whose Job Is It to Build One?
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About this question

Why in news

The Supreme Court agreed to examine this plea in a hearing on July 14, 2026, with CJI Surya Kant floating a one-hour response benchmark while flagging an unresolved SC-High Court jurisdictional question.

Why for UPSC

UPSC frequently tests petitioner names, specific benchmarks and precise procedural positions taken by counsel in live constitutional cases, rather than only the underlying legal doctrine.

Prelims summary

The SC is examining a plea by Advocate Maheravish Rein for a 24x7 SOP on urgent constitutional remedies; SG Mehta wants this handled administratively by High Courts, not via SC judicial order; the 2015 Yakub Memon plea is the cited historical precedent for late-night hearings.

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