SC adopts roster system for allocation of matters

CJI keeps PILs to himself; court's decision comes after the press conference by the four seniormost judges regarding allocation of work

Supreme Court judge Jasti Chelameswar along with Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph during their January 12 press conference in New Delhi

The Supreme Court yesterday adopted a roster system for the allocation of matters to the judges with Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra deciding to keep to himself the public interest litigation (PIL) cases. The order of the CJI was made public on the official website of the apex court. The 13-page notification said a roster of the work for fresh cases notified under the order of the Chief Justice of India will come into effect from February 5 till further orders.

The decision to make public the roster system assumes significance as four seniormost judges - Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph - in their January 12 press conference had questioned the allocation of sensitive PILs and important cases to junior judges. The notification has given description of matters that will be allocated to the benches headed by the CJI and 11 other judges.

In the unprecedented January 12 presser at Justice Chelameswar’s residence, the four seniormost judges had raised a litany of problems, including assigning of cases, and said there were certain issues afflicting the highest court.

Appointments as SC judges
The Supreme Court collegium yesterday made public its resolution recommending Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph for appointment as an apex court judge. It also recommended senior advocate Indu Malhotra, the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the top court, instead of being elevated from an HC.

Tweet talk

Prashant Bhushan @pbhushan1
In the new roster for allocation of cases announced by CJI, all politically sensitive cases, including PILs, Election cases, Appt of Constitutional &Statutory functionaries including law officers, Commissions of Inquiry, to be heard by CJI alone. Others to hear mundane cases only.

13
No. of pages in the notification about the SC's decision

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