As soon as U U Lalit took oath as the new Chief Justice of India, he vowed to streamline cases after his predecessor N V Ramana stated that listing was a problem. Further, advocates of the Supreme Court complained that fresh petitions weren’t getting listed.
However, the new CJI’s method has come under criticism. A two-judge bench said the new judicial order leaves very less time for judges to take up legal matters.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice S Oka on Tuesday. They were hearing a case titled ‘Nagesh Chaudhary vs State of Uttar Pradesh’.
The order stated, “The new listing system is not giving adequate time to take up matters fixed for hearing like the present case as there is a number of matters within the span of the ‘Afternoon’ session.”
According to the CJI’s new listing system, two shifts will be held for 30 judges. On Mondays and Fridays, they will hear fresh new cases. Each day more than 60 new cases are filed. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays judges in the morning session, from 10:30 am to 1 pm, will hear old cases.
In the afternoon, two-bench judges will be assigned 30 notice cases that need to be handled in 120 minutes.
On Friday, a two-judge bench refused to grant an adjournment of a hearing. The judges stated that they were working on the case reading till late evening and the advocates should not ask them to look at it afresh, again.
One of the judges said that the cases come at the last minute and hence it becomes difficult for them to study.
