With a significant chunk of its officers deputed for the upcoming polls, the works of the Supreme Court have been affected.

Since more than half of the court’s under-secretaries are on duty as election officers, the drafting of court verdicts and orders has been delayed along with managerial works.

This has also affected the SC’s decision to provide full texts of its verdicts and orders to service seekers within a specified time-frame, according to court officials.

Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli has decided to extend the working hours of the Supreme Court by one hour daily. But the decision has not added to the court’s productivity due to the absence of bulk of the workforce. 

Of the 70 under-secretaries in total, 40 have been deployed as election officers alongside more than two dozen section officers.

Court officials said since the SC was also responsible for ensuring that the elections are concluded in a free and fair manner, it has deployed its workforce to assist the Election Commission. “Obviously, the SC’s works have been affected when most of our under-secretaries are on election duty. However, election is also an important duty,” said Nagendra Kalakheti, joint spokesperson for the apex court.

The SC’s officiating registrar, however, said the judiciary cannot ignore the poll authority’s request. “We have supported the EC in its duty to the nation even by hampering our work schedule,” Mahendra Nath Upadhyay said. According to Kalakheti, the reforms initiated by the SC would come into force after the elections.