Question

Recently the term “Master of Roster” was in the news. It is related to _________________
A. Legislative
B. Executive
C. Judiciary
D. Urban Local Bodies

Answer 1

Hint: Roster is referred to a list that is organized for people who work for a particular body and the list is made by the person(s) who lead the body or organization. In the case of the Indian Government, it falls under the Chief Justice of India.

Complete answer:
Master of Roster, in the Indian context, refers to the privilege that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) has to establish Benches to hear cases. In November 2017 the privilege was accentuated when CJI Dipak Misra, who led a Constitution Bench, said that, “the Chief Justice is the master of the roster and he/she alone has the entitlement to constitute the Benches of the Court and allocate cases to the Benches so constituted.” This signifies that the pending cases that are brought to the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of India has exclusive administrative authority to allocate them to his/her fellow judges and the equivalent authority is given to the Chief Justices of the High Courts.

In a nutshell, the roster provides the details of the work assigned to the Chief Justices of High Courts and the Chief Justice of India and the “Master of Roster”, i.e., the Chief Justices are responsible for constituting Benches to hear the cases. Thus, they exercise both judicial and administrative power. However, the privileges that are given do not give the Chief Justices any superior authority over the other judges, they are just called upon first among a group of equals.

Thus, the answer is option C.

Note: Due to the vast number of cases that are brought to the Supreme Court, including the pending cases, it is necessary for the Chief Justices to constitute Benches and make sure that the cases are solved and justice is being served.