A welcome move, possibly never happened earlier before in the past history of Bombay High Court working, justice S J Kathawalla sat till the early hours of Friday to finish off the pending matters listed before him for hearing. According to a news report in CNN News18, Justice Kathawalla has been burning the midnight oil since the last one week to reduce pendency and finish hearing matters before the month-long summer vacation kicks-in from May 5. His courtroom was packed till 3:30 am with litigants and advocates.

He heard more than 135 cases since morning, 70 of which were urgent matters.

Hiren Kamod, an advocate who was in the court till the early hours said, "His dedication and commitment to work is unmatched. I was among the last three to leave the courtroom at 3:30 am. It was packed with lawyers, litigants and court staff and nobody complained because most matters were moved for urgent hearings," as quoted by the CNNNews18.

The report also quoted KPP Nair, who worked with Kathawalla for seven years as his secretary. Nair said, "I have worked with 15 judges, but nobody can match the energy and vigour of justice Kathawalla. He dictates small orders inside the court, and lengthy orders are taken in his chamber where he dictates. I have also gone to his home on Sundays for dictation."

He further added what makes Kathawalla stand out as compared to others, is his justice-oriented mind and serving the people has been his priority.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2018 02:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).