New Delhi, July 26 -- In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has directed trial court judges across the capital to pronounce judgments or orders they had reserved prior to their transfer within two to three weeks of their new assignment.

The Court made it clear that successor judges are not permitted to rehear such matters.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, in order to copy, stated that once a matter is reserved for judgment, the responsibility to pronounce it lies with the judge who heard it, even after their transfer. Any departure from this practice, the Court noted, leads to unnecessary delays, confusion, and erosion of judicial credibility.

"The successor Court must not list the matter for re-hearing... it should be sent to the...