The Supreme Court of India has introduced a new roster system for the allocation of cases, which will come into effect from July 3, 2023. The new system aims to bring more transparency to the top court and takes into account the domain expertise of judges, along with the pendency and inflow of cases.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Under the new roster, new cases arising out of letters written to the Supreme Court and new public interest litigations (PILs) will be heard by a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and two senior-most judges, namely, Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice Sanjiv Khanna. This marks a significant shift from the previous system adopted by former CJI U.U. Lalit, where PILs were allocated to all benches. The new approach ensures that PILs are heard by the most senior judges, thereby ensuring a high level of expertise and experience in dealing with these important cases.
In terms of subject-wise allocation, the bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud will hear the maximum number of cases with issues varying from indirect taxes, service matters, criminal appeals, election petitions, company law, habeas corpus matters, and arbitration. The CJI-led bench will also deal with matters relating to the appointment of constitutional authorities and judicial officers, armed forces, and admissions to educational institutions. This wide range of subjects reflects the diverse expertise of the judges on the bench and ensures that cases are heard by those with the most relevant knowledge and experience.
The new roster system has also outlined the composition of different benches of the Supreme Court, which will be headed by 15 senior judges. Apart from the CJI and two senior-most judges, other judges heading the benches include B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant, Aniruddha Bose, A.S. Bopanna, Krishna Murari, S. Ravindra Bhat, Hrishikesh Roy, Abhay S. Oka, Vikram Nath, J.K. Maheshwari, and Hima Kohli. This diverse group of judges heading the benches ensures a wide range of expertise and experience in dealing with different types of cases, thereby ensuring the highest level of justice.
The Supreme Court registry has also announced a new procedure for listing urgent cases before the top court. Under the new process, miscellaneous fresh matters will be verified on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday and will be automatically listed on the next Monday. Cases that are verified on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday will be listed for hearing on the following Friday. This new procedure aims to streamline the process of listing urgent cases and ensures that they are heard in a timely manner.
The new roster system in the Supreme Court marks a significant step towards increasing transparency and efficiency in the court’s functioning. By taking into account the domain expertise of judges and the pendency and inflow of cases, the new system ensures that cases are heard by the most appropriate judges in a timely manner. This is a significant development in the Indian judicial system and reflects the Supreme Court’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of justice.