No default vacation of stay orders after six months, says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday reversed its 2018 ruling that restricted the validity of interim stay orders granted by courts in civil and criminal cases to six months, reported Bar and Bench.

In the 2018 Asian Resurfacing Of Road Agency versus Central Bureau Of Investigation case, a three-judge bench comprising Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel, Navin Sinha and Rohinton Nariman held that stay orders in all criminal and civil proceedings would be valid only for six months unless specifically extended.

The top court had ruled that trial courts could resume proceedings after six months from the issuance of stay orders by higher courts. However, in August 2019, it clarified that the six-month cap on interim stay orders will not be applied to Supreme Court orders.