NEW DELHI: The chief justice of India is the “master of the roster” and there is no dispute that he has the “ultimate authority” and “prerogative” to allocate cases, the Supreme Court asserted today, in third such reiteration by the Apex Court in eight months on the contentious issue.
A bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan in their separate but concurring verdicts noted that being the senior-most judge, the CJI is empowered to exercise ‘leadership” on the court and in this role, he is expected to be the “spokesperson and representative” of the judiciary in its dealings with the executive, the Government and the community.
Referring to several earlier verdicts of the Apex Court, including a judgement by a five-judge Constitution bench and a three-judge bench, justice Sikri said the CJI has the authority and responsibility for administration of the court and this gives him the “ultimate authority for determining the distribution of judicial work load”. (AGENCIES)
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