a judgment of a high court on the ground that such judgment had been signed by the learned Judge after demitting office. 3. These are distressing trends indeed. 4. As if there is no end to it, the present case unfolds facts which are equally disturbing and meets with our disapproval. 5. However, before we refer to the factual matrix giving rise to this civil appeal, noticing a decision of fairly recent origin of this Court in Balaji Baliram Mupade vs State of Maharashtra1 is considered imperative. Relevant excerpts from such decision read as follows: “1. … Judicial discipline requires promptness in delivery of judgments—an aspect repeatedly emphasised by this Court. The problem is compounded where the result is known but not the reasons. This deprives any aggrieved party of the opportunity to seek further judicial redressal in the next tier of judicial scrutiny. * * * * * 10. We must note with regret that the counsel extended through various judicial pronouncements including the one