Supreme Court needs transparent roster system, says former SC judge Oka

Former Supreme Court judge Abhay S. Oka has called for a more transparent roster system within the Indian judiciary to reduce manual intervention in the allocation of cases. Speaking at a forum on judicial accountability, Oka highlighted that multiple Benches are often responsible for similar categories of cases, making it unclear which Bench a newly filed petition would eventually be listed before.

This lack of clarity leaves room for human intervention in the listing process. Oka argued that the roster system should be revamped to prevent such manual involvement, citing the High Courts as an example where administrative decisions are made collectively by committees. He also emphasized the need for greater transparency in the collegium system used for judicial appointments, emphasizing that any replacement system must be equally transparent.