Shortly after assuming office, among the first things that Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi did was to notify changes in the roster.
As per the new roster, letter petitions and Public Interest Litigation (PILs) will be heard by the bench headed by the CJI while the bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, will also hear those PILs allocated to him by Gogoi.
The CJI will also hear social justice matters, election matters, habeas corpus petitions, contempt of court matters, cases related to appointment of constitutional functionaries, and matters pertaining to judicial officers, among others.
Matters pertaining to admission to medical colleges, an issue that raised questions during the previous CJI’s term, will be heard by benches headed by Justices SA Bobde and Arun Mishra.
Personal Law matters will be heard by benches headed by five different judges— Justices Lokur, AK Sikri, Kurian Joseph, NV Ramana, and UU Lalit.
Former CJI Dipak Misra had introduced the subject-wise roster system in the Supreme Court in February this year shortly after the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court—Justice Chelameswar, Justice Gogoi, Justice Lokur and Justice Joseph held a press conference to express their unhappiness with the way in which the apex court was being run.