Supreme Court roster changes again with 5 judges getting new subjects

Monthly changes in the Supreme Court roster appear to be inevitable. It is not just when judges retire or new judges join that the roster requires changes. Impending retirements of judges, and the inordinate delay by the Centre in appointing judges recommended by the Collegium also necessitate changes in the roster..In February, when the roster was published online, there were 12 presiding judges, among whom the 41 broad subject categories under the roster were distributed..On March 5, when the roster was revised, there were only 11 presiding judges. The reason? Justice Amitava Roy had retired on March 1, and there has been no fresh appointment to replace him. As a result, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, a presiding judge in February, did not head a Bench after last month’s change..On April 9, the roster was revised again. Given Justice RK Agrawal’s retirement on May 4, the number of presiding judges will come down to 10, with Justice AK Goel ceasing to be a presiding judge..So, what changes did the Supreme Court judges’ roster see on April 9?.Five judges get subjects they did not have earlier. Of them, Justice Goel, who is about to retire soon after the reopening of the Court after the summer vacation, (he is retiring on July 6) gets Establishment and Recognition of Educational Institutions. But he has given up four subjects, probably keeping in view his impending retirement. They are: Service Matters, Compensation, Consumer Protection, and Family Law..Justice NV Ramana gets Admiralty and Maritime Laws, a subject so far held by only two judges – Justice J Chelameswar and Justice SA Bobde. He also gets Armed Forces and Para Military Forces, a subject so far held by only Justices Madan B Lokur and AK Sikri..With Justice Arun Mishra getting Land Laws and Agricultural Tenancies, the number of presiding judges hearing cases under this subject is now five, the others being Justice Chelameswar, Justice Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Bobde..Justice Bobde gets Leases, Government Contracts and Contracts of Local Bodies. Apart from him, only Justice Ranjan Gogoi hears cases under this subject..Justice AK Sikri gets Election Matters, a subject hitherto held only by the Chief Justice and Justice RK Agrawal. As Justice AM Sapre, who sits with Justice Agrawal, recently recused from two election matters, the need was probably felt for one more bench to deal with the subject. Justice Sikri has given up Religious and Charitable Endowments, a subject currently held by five Judges..With Justice Agrawal retiring on May 4, there could be a fresh revision of the roster before the Court breaks for the summer vacation on May 18.