Roster

WHAT IS ROSTER?

the roster is a list which shows how different categories of cases are assigned to judge. it is a process which allocates cases to the judiciary to achieve efficiency of the higher judiciary, constitution of the bench is an administrative function which is exercised by the chief justice of that designated high court and it is his duty to distribute the business of the high court, both judicial and administrative as he is designated as master of roster, he alone can constitute benches of the court and allocate cases to the benches so constituted, this allocation is done to avoide conflicting views by two benches on a similar case.

OFFICIAL DEFINITION OF ROSTER

According to the law dictionary, a Roster is a list of persons who are to perform certain legal duties when called upon In their turn. While the official definition of roster is not provided under any statute at the same point it is developed through judicial pronouncements.

'Roster' as defined in legislation(s)

High Court of Madhya Pradesh Rules, 2008

Rule 4(20) defines roster as a notification issued under the orders of the chief justice which assigns particular class(es) of cases to the judges of the high court for a specified or unspecified period.

Constitution of India, 1950 (Article 145)

Article 145 empowers supreme court with the president approval to make rules which regulates the practice and procedure of the court which includes article 145(3) which fixes the minimum number of judges who must sit to decide a case involving substantial question of constitutional interpretation which is five. this constitutional floor makes the constitutional bench different from the ordinary roster assignment, the chief justices discretion is fixing the roster which can be displaced by a constitutional minimum wherever article 145(3) is implied

Supreme Court Rules, 2013 (Order VI)

Order VI is framed under article 145 which is the operative machinery for the bench constitution at the supreme court

• Rule 1 which is in every cause appeal or matter will be heard by a bench not less than a two judges bench nominated by chief justice, single-judge benches for specified categories, such as bail-related SLPs and certain transfer petitions got permitted in 2019
• Rule 2 is where a bench considers a matter should be dealt by a larger bench, it shall be referred to the chief justice who shall thereupon continue such bench
• Rule 3 any matter that raised from a confirmed or awarded death sentences shall be heard by not less than 3 judges
• Rule 4 if a Bench lesser than three judges considers the accused should be sentenced to death, it must refer the matter to the Chief Justice to constitute a three-judge Bench.

Legal provision(s) relating to 'Roster'

Rule 29 of chapter VI

the supreme court handbook on the practice and procedure and office procedure doesn't define roster but assigns responsibility for preparing it, the registrar shall prepare a roster under the direction of the chief justice of india, subject to further special or general order of the chief justice of the india

'Roster' as defined in international instrument(s)

UN Basic Principle on the Independence of the judiciary (1985)

principal 14 which is adopted by the seventh UN congress on the prevention of crime and endorsed by UN general assembly resolution 40/32 and 40/146 of 1985 which states the assignment of cases to judges within the court to which they belong is an internal matter of the judicial administration.

'Roster' as defined in official document(s)

the supreme court registry periodically issues fresh subject wise roasters as formal notifications and the most recent roaster was reported in july 2026 which relocated fresh matters across multiple benches by subject matter code.

'Roster' as defined in official government report(s)

there is no law commission of india report or parliamentary committee report which treats roster as its central subject matter .

'Roster' as defined in case law(s)

State of Rajasthan v. Prakash Chand, (1998) 1 SCC 1

this is the foundational judgement which holded that administrative control of high court vests in the chief justice alone and alone has the prerogative to constitute benches and allocates cases to them.

Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms v. Union of India, (2018) 1 SCC 196

the court in this case held that the chief justices authority to constitute benches includes the bench to hear this very matter should be remained intact and could not displaced even when CJIs own conduct was under challenge.

Asok Pande v. Supreme Court of India, (2018) 5 SCC 341

in this case the court reject the plea to bifurcate the supreme court into subject specific courts it held that once the chief justice is tatted to be the master of roster he alone has the power to constitute benches, no two bench judge or three bench judge can allocate the matter to themselves.

Shanti Bhushan v. Supreme Court of India, (2018) 8 SCC 396, W.P. (Civil) No. 789 of 2018

this case is know as the master of roster case in this senior advocate shanti bhushan sought a ruling that chief justice in order VI rule 1 and 2 of the supreme court rules should be read as the fiver senior most judges collectively not the chief justice of india alone the court rejected this holding which read chief justice as a collegium would make day to day functioning of the court unworkable, while the constitution is slient on the CJI specific role as master of roaster, the postition rests on the supreme court rules and the handbook.

VARIATIONS IN THE ROSTER SYSTEM ACROSS COURTS

Functional Variation across different regions states and high courts

case allocation is different structurally between the supreme court and various other high court at the supreme court cases are allocated directly by the chief justice of India by subject matter notification. in some of the high court allocation is reportedly computer generated like the Allahabad high courts case distribution is described as computer spun and equally distributed among benches of the same roster of fresh case on the other hand Kerala high court publishes a consolidated daily roster list while in other high courts the roster document is supplemented by partial modification orders as sitting arrangements change.

Divergence from International Practice

Germany

Here cases allocation follows Geschäftsverteilungsplan a fixed plan published in advance for the year anchored in Article 101(1)(2) of their basic laws guarantee against being deprived of ones lawful judge.

United states

Here federal courts generally use randomized case assignment specifically to deter judge shopping

APPEARENCE OF 'ROSTER' IN DATABASE

Supreme court of India

the supreme court of India publishes the current judges' roster on its own website organized by the subject matter category assigned to each judge or bench.

Delhi High Court

The delhi HC has a roster system and in this particular system a single judge is given to handle all the matrimonial cases or civil or criminal petitions

RESEARCH THAT ENGAGES WITH ROSTER

The Delhi High Court Roster Review: A Step Towards Judicial Performance Evaluations

by vaidehi misra and satiswar kedas the study aims to determine the productivity of the delhi high court institutionally and judge by judge using roster and case disposal data for calender year 2018 treating the published roster itself as a data source for measuring how caseload was actually distributed across judges.

RELATED TERMS

• Court Roster: refers to the official schedule that is prepared by the court indicating the allocation of cases to different benches judges or dates of hearing
• Cause List: it is the daily or weekly list of cases schedules to be heard before a particular court or bench
• Bench Assgnment: represent allocation of judges to hear specific categories of case matters
• Case Listing: shows the process of scheduling and placing a case before the appropriate bench for hearing
• Board of cases: Describe compilation of matters that are fixed for hearing on a perticular day before a bench
• Judicial Calender: shows the schedule of court sittings, hearings and judicial matters conducted over a specific period
• hearing scheduled: refers to timetable specifying date, time and bench before which a case is to heard
• Roster allocation: reprsents allocation of judicial work among judges or benches by chief justice or any other compitent authority
• Bench roster: refers to official notification which specifies constituiton of benches and the clases of cases assigned to each bench