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In a novel way of requesting SC for early hearing of a decade- and-half-old appeal, advocate Ejaz Maqbool shunned the blunt ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ argument to philosophically tell SC – “Aaj kal murde bhi puchte hain ki mera case ka kya hua? (These days even the dead ask for the status of their cases)”. It was a soft reminder to the judiciary that pendency of cases is huge and many people perish awaiting the fruits of litigation initiated due to their trust and faith in the three-tier justice delivery system, which in reality grinds the underprivileged the most despite vigorous efforts to provide legal aid. Maqbool used the poetic argument to persuade a bench of CJI Surya Kant and justice Joymalya Bagchi for grant of early hearing for his client Kamlesh Laxmanbhai Patel, who began his journey in litigation in 2005 against Moonshine Films. CJI Kant smiled but said the appeal would be taken up for hearing on its turn, refusing an out-of-turn hearing.
