2 min readNew DelhiOct 28, 2026 03:56 AM ISTFormer Supreme Court judge Abhay S Oka on Tuesday questioned the transparency of the SC roster system, asking how cases are allocated to benches and whether the process leaves room for manual intervention.“Once there is a roster, the CJI has no right to interfere in it,” Oka said, questioning the absence of clarity on how matters are assigned when multiple benches hear cases involving the same subject. “You don’t know which matter will be assigned to which bench,” he said, asking whether the CJI or the Registry decides the allocation.Delivering the keynote lecture at an event on the “Accountability of Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts” organised by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) in New Delhi, Oka said judicial accountability must extend to the administrative functioning of courts.“Every dimension of accountability must be strengthened without compromising on judicial independence,” he said. “Judges are first and foremost accountable to litigants who come before them with the great hope of getting speedy and quality justice.”Oka said getting freshly filed cases listed for their first hearing remained a major challenge, particularly in High Courts with substantial filings and pendency. “The only solution is auto-date all freshly filed cases,” he said, suggesting bail applications be listed within a day or two and other cases within about a week.On higher courts directing trial courts to dispose of cases within fixed timelines, he said such orders could burden judges already dealing with older and more complex matters. He called for a rational transfer policy for trial court and district court judges.© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd Tags:supreme courtAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement