The tone may be lighthearted but Justice A K Ganguly — one of the two judges on the 2G bench — underlined what he called is a serious issue affecting the higher judiciary: its vacation system.

Speaking to The Sunday Express at his 4, Tuglak Road residence today, Ganguly said: “I have a strong feeling that the number of holidays should be curtailed and the court days must be increased.”

“Court days are very precious public time. Because it is grievance of the people which is decided in the court. Every minute, every moment is important. Therefore, wasting existing court time is something absolutely not acceptable to me. Those who do it, they are absolutely irresponsible.”

He said the Supreme Court and the High Courts (Calcutta, Orissa, Madras, Patna) where he had been posted must not declare a holiday to pay respect to him, “My desire is that they should work little more.”

Justice Ganguly said he had raised this issue but it was “tremendously resisted by the bar and I felt in minority.”

There are over 41.63 lakh pending cases in the Supreme Court and High Courts as of end 2010. This year, the Supreme Court will work on 230 days; it will have a 49-day summer vacation (May 13-July 1) and a 15-day winter vacation from Dec 17 to January 1.