Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Saturday said the concept of the Chief Justice as the ‘Master of the Roster’ is often misunderstood and represents only one among several administrative responsibilities attached to the office.
Speaking during an interaction at the Oxford Union, Justice Kant was responding to a question on roster allocation and concerns that Bench composition can influence outcomes in politically sensitive cases.
The Q&A session was moderated by Amaan Asim, Oxford Union, Director of Research.
The CJI stressed that case allocation was guided by transparency and predetermined systems rather than individual discretion.
He noted that rosters are published in advance and are available in the public domain so that litigants and lawyers know which categories of cases will be heard by particular Benches.
“Most of the matters are listed through automation systems. That is why the roster is always in advance,” he said.
He said public discussion often focused exclusively on case allocation while overlooking the wider constitutional and administrative responsibilities performed by the Chief Justice of India.
“The concept of the expression ‘Master of the Roster’ is unfortunately misunderstood in the general context,” he said.
He explained that his responsibilities extended far beyond judicial work and included matters relating to judicial appointments, infrastructure, the administration of the court system, and the addressing of institutional concerns.
“Preparation of roster for the purpose of allocation of cases is only one of those responsibilities. So let us not take it that it makes the Chief Justice of India a very powerful authority. It is not like that,” he said.
According to him, the publication of rosters is intended to bring transparency rather than concentrate power.
The Chief Justice further explained that while assigning work, the Court seeks to make optimal use of a judge’s professional experience and expertise.
For instance, a judge who practised primarily on the criminal side before elevation may be assigned criminal matters, while those with backgrounds in commercial or corporate litigation may hear cases in those fields.
“I would like to have an optimum utilisation of the experience and the ability with which he has been elevated in the Supreme Court,” Justice Kant said.
The Chief Justice said the roster system must be viewed in the broader context of institutional administration and judicial efficiency rather than through the narrow lens of individual case allocation.
The session was hosted jointly by the Oxford Law Society and the Oxford Union, along with Tanvi Dubey, Advocate on Record at the Oxford University. The welcome remarks were delivered by Tanvi Dubey and then the CJI was invited for his opening remarks. The CJI’s address was on the topic “Constitutional Promise to Digital Reality: Safeguarding Justice in the Age of AI and technological advancement.”