Supreme Court Forms Three-Judge Committee To Examine Cause List Sequencing Concerns Raised By Bar

Home / Top Stories Supreme Court Forms Three-Judge Committee To Examine Cause List Sequencing Concerns Raised By Bar X CJI Kant has assured that the sequencing issue has already been deliberated upon by the full court of Supreme Court judges and that a committee had been formed to recommend changes. The Supreme Court has constituted a three-judge committee, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and V Mohana, to examine cause list sequencing concerns raised by the Bar. As the Supreme Court on Monday heard a plea highlighting the difficulties faced by lawyers due to last-minute changes in the daily cause list sequence, Chief Justice Surya Kant told petitioner and Advocate Gaurav Bhatia that the Full Court has decided to constitute a three-judge committee to examine concerns regarding the sequencing of cases. "Today also the sequence was issued at 10:30 a.m. and 10:29. I have spoken to a lot of advocates and there is a broad consensus. The Bar accepts with humility whatever is done in the interest of the institution, but Your Lordship will also appreciate that unpredictability would never lead to a good performance even by lawyers. We enter the court and then we come to know that we are supposed to be in Court No. X rather than Y because a new sequence has been issued at 10:29 or 10:30," Bhatia told the bench also comprising Justices Bagchi and Mohana. Responding to the concern, CJI Surya Kant said the issue had already been discussed in a Full Court meeting of the Supreme Court judges and a committee had been set up to examine it. According to an office order issued on July 28, the committee comprises Justice Vikram Nath, Justice PS Narasimha and Justice V Mohana. The Registrar (Judicial Listing) will also assist the committee in its work. The committee will consider measures for simplification of causelists and uniformity in taking up cases in seriatim. The registrar (judicial listing) will assist the committee, which has been tasked with examining ways to simplify cause lists and bring greater uniformity to the order in which cases are taken up. It will also consider suggestions submitted by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA). At a recent Supreme Court Bar Association function attended by the Chief Justice, office-bearers had urged the court either to abolish the sequencing system or to indicate the proposed order of hearing in the supplementary cause list itself. At present, Benches frequently depart from the numerical order of cases in the cause list, often taking up fresh admission matters first. The revised sequence is typically announced on the morning of the hearing, prompting complaints that lawyers are left with little time to rearrange appearances across different courtrooms.