In a bid to enhance efficiency and transparency in case allocation, the Supreme Court is set to undergo a major transformation with a new roster of work coming into effect on July 3. The innovative subject-wise roster aims to ensure that each case falls within the domain of the most relevant bench, streamlining the judicial process and increasing effectiveness.

Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, will lead the first bench, which will handle a wide range of cases. This bench will address diverse legal issues, including indirect taxes, service matters, criminal appeals, company law, habeas corpus matters, arbitration, appointment of constitutional authorities and judicial officers, armed forces, and admissions to educational institutions. Additionally, the CJI's bench will prioritize public interest litigations (PILs), letter petitions, and matters related to social justice, emphasizing the court's commitment to providing access to justice for all.

CJI's bench would not hear Land Acquisition matter and matters related to Family Law. Habeas Corpus petitions would be heard by the bench of CJI and justice Surya Kant

Furthermore, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna will lead the second and third benches, respectively, with the crucial responsibility of hearing letter petitions and PILs assigned by the CJI. This distribution of workload underscores the Supreme Court's dedication to addressing concerns of public interest and ensuring the efficient delivery of justice.

The subject-wise roster system was introduced in February 2018 in response to the 'master of roster' controversy, which emerged after a press conference held by four senior judges who raised concerns about the selective assignment of cases, allegedly ignoring seniority. The new roster system aims to dispel any doubts and reinforce principles of fairness and transparency in case allocation.

Here is a breakdown of the new roster system and the specific matters assigned to each bench:

First Bench (Led by CJI DY Chandrachud):

• Indirect taxes
• Service matters
• Criminal appeals
• Company law
• Habeas corpus matters
• Arbitration
• Appointment of constitutional authorities and judicial officers
• Armed forces
• Admissions to educational institutions
• PILs, Letter Petitions, and social justice matters

Second Bench (Led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul):

• Letter petitions and PILs as assigned by the CJI
• Arbitration matters
• Criminal matters (alongside other designated judges)

Third Bench (Led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna):

• Letter petitions and PILs as assigned by the CJI
• Criminal matters (alongside other designated judges)
• Direct tax matters

Other significant allocations include:

Indirect tax matters (CJI Bench):

• Justice Krishna Murari
• Justice S Ravindra Bhat
• Justice AS Oka
• Justice BV Nagarthna

Direct tax matters (Justice Sanjiv Khanna Bench):

• Justice Krishna Murari
• Justice S Ravindra Bhat
• Justice AS Oka
• Justice BV Nagarathna

Service matters (CJI Bench):

• Justice SK Kaul
• Justice BR Gavai
• Justice Surya Kant
• Justice Aniruddha Bose
• Justice AS Bopanna
• Justice Hrishikesh Roy
• Justice AS Oka
• Justice Vikram Nath
• Justice JK Maheshwari
• Justice Hima Kohl

Criminal Matters

• CJI- DY Chandrachud
• Justice SK Kaul
• Justice Sanjeev Khanna
• Justice BR Gavai
• Justice Surya Kant
• Justice Aniruddha Bose
• Justice AS Bopanna
• Justice Krishna Murari
• Justice S. Ravindra Bhat
• Justice Hrishikesh Roy
• Justice AS Oka
• Justice Vikram Nath

Explore the New Bench Assignments Here!