News Highlight
There was an open criticism of the Supreme Court’s new case listing system introduced by the new Chief Justice of India.
Key Takeaway
- The system of listing cases for hearing is devised by the Supreme Court with a focus on clearing the backlog and regular hearing cases are not neglected.
What is the new listing system?
- The introduction of the listing system by CJI meant two distinct shifts for the 30 judges.
- They gathered on 15 different benches on Mondays and Fridays to hear newly filed cases, which numbered more than 60 each day.
- On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the judges heard old cases involving important legal issues in the morning session in a combination of three-judge benches.
- In the afternoon, the two-judge benches were assigned 30-odd after-notice cases (reduced to 20 later) to be dealt with in 120 minutes, averaging 4 minutes of judicial attention per case.
- The Supreme Court bench remarked that the new listing system does not give adequate time to take up matters fixed for hearing.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI)
- The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution.
- From 1950 to 1973, the practice was to appoint the seniormost judge of the SC as the CJI.
- This established convention was violated in 1973 when A. N. Ray was appointed as the Chief Justice of India by superseding three senior judges.
- SC in the Second Judges Case (1993), ruled that the senior most judge of the Supreme Court should alone be appointed to the office of the CJI.
The Powers of CJI
- The Chief Justice is in charge of allocating cases and appointing constitutional benches that deal with key legal issues as the leader of the Supreme Court.
- The CJI delegates all duties to the other justices in line with Article 145 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court Rules of Procedure of 1966.
- The CJI is responsible for the following administrative tasks:
- Maintenance of the roster; appointment of court officials;
- Other general and incidental topics concerning the Supreme Court’s supervision and operation.
Pic Courtesy: The wire
Content Source: The Economic Times