In Brief
A lawyer and self-described "public spirited person" filed a writ petition seeking mandamus to require the Supreme Court to establish a rigid procedure for constituting benches, specifying that three-judge benches must comprise the Chief Justice and two most senior judges, and that constitutional benches comprise the five most senior judges. He also sought creation of specialized divisional courts (Criminal, PIL, Tax, Service, etc.). The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, holding that the Chief Justice has exclusive prerogative as "Master of the Roster" to constitute benches and allocate cases—a power rooted in the Constitution that cannot be constrained by mandamus or rigid rules. The Court reaffirmed that every judge is equally competent to hear all cases; seniority by appointment has no bearing on case assignment.
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