Know The Roster System

January 12th, 2017 is a date earmarked in judicial history, an event that witnessed four senior most sitting Judges of Supreme Court of India, publicly raising concerns about the structural flaws regarding the functioning of the administrative division of the Supreme Court. They put forth the complete responsibility upon the shoulders of Chief Justice of India regarding roster system of the Apex Court. In this article, we would make an attempt to gain better understanding and clarity regarding this roster system and about the controversy surrounding it.

The word 'roster' can trace its roots since early 18th century, where it was originally used in order to indicate the list of duties and leave for military personnel¹. In the contemporary world, it is defined as a system to allocate different tasks to all the members in order to achieve higher efficiency.