CJI is the master of roster, reiterates Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Friday again reiterated that the Chief Justice of India is the master of roster.
While hearing a petition filed by senior lawyer Shanti Bhushan in connection with the SC judge roster system, a Supreme Court bench today said there is no dispute that the CJI is the master of the roster and first among equals.
CJI occupies role of first among equals and has exclusive duty of allocating cases, the apex court added.
As per the Supreme Court's Practice and Procedure and Office Procedure, 2017, the roster of cases is prepared by the Registrar (Judical) of the apex court under the orders of the Chief Justice.
In order to meet contingencies, the Chief Justice may, from time to time, direct the Registrar (J-I) to prepare roster instructions or amendments for re-allocation of judicial work.
Earlier this year the SC had dismissed a PIL saying there was no concept of “senior” or “junior” SC judges as all were equally competent to decide any case allotted to them by the Chief Justice of India, who alone had the power to constitute benches and assign cases.
At an unprecedented press conference on January 12, four senior judges led by Justice J Chelameswar had specifically complained against the allocation of a petition relating to judicial officer B H Loya’s death to a bench headed by a “junior” judge while questioning the CJI’s alleged arbitrary allocation of important cases to benches headed by “select junior” judges.
While hearing a petition filed by senior lawyer Shanti Bhushan in connection with the SC judge roster system, a Supreme Court bench today said there is no dispute that the CJI is the master of the roster and first among equals.
CJI occupies role of first among equals and has exclusive duty of allocating cases, the apex court added.
As per the Supreme Court's Practice and Procedure and Office Procedure, 2017, the roster of cases is prepared by the Registrar (Judical) of the apex court under the orders of the Chief Justice.
In order to meet contingencies, the Chief Justice may, from time to time, direct the Registrar (J-I) to prepare roster instructions or amendments for re-allocation of judicial work.
Earlier this year the SC had dismissed a PIL saying there was no concept of “senior” or “junior” SC judges as all were equally competent to decide any case allotted to them by the Chief Justice of India, who alone had the power to constitute benches and assign cases.
At an unprecedented press conference on January 12, four senior judges led by Justice J Chelameswar had specifically complained against the allocation of a petition relating to judicial officer B H Loya’s death to a bench headed by a “junior” judge while questioning the CJI’s alleged arbitrary allocation of important cases to benches headed by “select junior” judges.