New norms for listing urgent cases soon: CJI

“Give us one or two days... we will come out with norms. From Thursday, it will be implemented,” the CJI, heading a two-judge bench, said.

Chief Justice of India U U Lalit (File)

CHIEF JUSTICE of India U U Lalit said on Monday that the Supreme Court will soon put in place a new mechanism for listing of urgent cases. “Give us one or two days… we will come out with norms. From Thursday, it will be implemented,” the CJI, heading a two-judge bench, said.

The bench, which included Justice S Ravindra Bhat, was responding to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who sought to know whether the court was permitting mentioning of matters – where lawyers bring urgent matters to the notice of the court, which can then decide whether it needs to be listed out of turn.

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“What we are doing is… for listing, we will go back to the original… which is that every matter which is registered shall be listed on some day or the other and be part of any advance list… It may be listed within 10 days, or at least in the advance list, it will find a place so that one gets to know what exactly is the date of listing, so therefore the future and the fate of that matter, you are well aware,” said CJI Lalit, who was sworn in on Saturday.

“But till that process actually… is put and made some kind of functional, we may have to do some ad hoc basis… as I said… the procedure will be on. Till then, if there is any urgency, I will look into that matter,” he said.

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In the past, lawyers have complained that their matters aren’t listed for mentioning despite the urgency, and sometimes don’t get listed for hearing even after being mentioned.

In an interview to The Indian Express on August 14, then CJI-designate Lalit, while responding to a query concerning matters not getting listed, had said: “That is something which, at the institutional level, we will have to find a solution to (in a way that) there won’t be any room for such criticism”.

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Subsequently, speaking at the farewell organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) for former CJI N V Ramana on August 26, he reiterated his priorities and said he would “strive hard to make the process of listing cases simple and transparent” and ensure that there is at least one Constitution bench functioning round the year.

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Soon after taking oath on Saturday, CJI Lalit called a full-court meeting to work out the details of his plan, and decided to put in place six three-judge benches and “one or two” Constitution benches on priority. The Constitution benches will initially deal with case management.

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