In Brief
In September 2021, the Supreme Court extended nationwide relief to litigants whose cases would be time-barred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, the Court in March 2020 suspended limitation periods indefinitely. In March 2021, it ended the blanket suspension but excluded pandemic period (15.03.2020–14.03.2021) from limitation calculations. When a second COVID wave surged, the Court by this order further extended the exclusion to 02.10.2021. The Court held that cases becoming time-barred during the pandemic period would have 90 days from 03.10.2021 to file, or the actual longer limitation period, whichever was greater. The relief applied across all laws—general limitation law and special statutes governing arbitration, commercial courts, and negotiable instruments—as an extraordinary constitutional measure to ensure access to justice during the pandemic.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.