Important Legal Definitions

The administrative prerogative of the Chief Justice of India (and Chief Justices of the High Courts) to allocate benches, distribute judicial portfolios, and assign specific writ petitions for hearing.

In Asok Pande v. Supreme Court of India, the Supreme Court held that the Chief Justice of India is the sole Master of the Roster, and no individual judge or litigant can direct how benches are constituted to hear writ matters.