Recent Trend Of Overturning Judgments By Succeeding Benches Painful : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court expressed serious concern over the growing tendency of succeeding coordinate benches to overturn earlier judgments, calling it “painful” and harmful to judicial consistency. The article discusses how frequent overruling disrupts legal certainty, undermines expectations of litigants, and threatens institutional stability. The Court emphasized the doctrine of stare decisis and underscored that a coordinate bench cannot lightly disregard precedent; matters requiring reconsideration should be referred to larger benches. The observations serve as a reminder to maintain discipline within the judiciary to safeguard uniformity in law. This decision is relevant for lawyers handling matters where conflicting precedents exist and for understanding the Court’s expectations on judicial propriety.