Supreme Court to set up vacation bench during week-long Holi break to hear urgent and ‘death penalty-related’ cases

New Delhi: For the first time, the Supreme Court will have a vacation bench during the upcoming one-week Holi break to hear urgent matters. Usually, a vacation bench of the apex court only sits during the nearly six-week long summer break in May and June. [caption id=“attachment_7163691” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Chief Justice SA Bobde said on Thursday that the vacation bench will not sit on the day of Holi but during the other days of the week. The CJI made the statement after advocate Nitya Ramakrishna mentioned for urgent hearing a matter relating to anticipatory bail in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Ramakrishna said there was urgency in the matter as the court is scheduled to go on break for Holi from 9 March and the High Court has granted protection to the accused only till 13 March. To this, CJI Bobde said that a vacation bench will be constituted for the Holi break, for urgent and “death penalty related cases” that may need to be heard. The apex court will go on Holi vacation of one week from 9 to 13 March.