CJI UU Lalit engaged in drawing a big streak in his short tenure in the Supreme Court

Chief Justice (CJI) UU Lalit is trying to draw a big streak in a short tenure. Since taking over as the CJI, he has started working expeditiously towards putting more and more cases, especially the old pending cases, on trial and ensuring their disposal. Justice Lalit will retire on November 8 and his tenure as CJI is 74 days. Therefore, he is paying special attention to use every moment of judicial work time along with simplifying and streamlining the system of putting the cases on trial.

Before retirement, he is likely to pronounce judgment in several major matters with far-reaching consequences, which may include the issue of economic and religious reservation and PF pension. Normally the Supreme Court is closed on Saturdays, but Justice Lalit will hear the petitions of home buyers in Amrapali on September 3. A special bench headed by him will sit for hearing on that day.

The working style of CJI engaged in ensuring hearing of maximum number of cases is in discussion nowadays. He has made some changes in the ongoing system of hearing cases in the Supreme Court so far. The hearing of the court is divided into different sections, in which the biggest change has been made regarding the hearing of regular and miscellaneous cases on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on the day of regular hearing.

Justice Lalit has decided to put the old pending regular cases on hearing from morning till lunch and the second part of the day i.e. after lunch, the hearing on the miscellaneous i.e. new cases will be done. This has probably been done so that the hearing of old pending regular cases does not lag behind due to new cases whereas in the earlier system, in these days, miscellaneous cases were heard in the beginning and after that regular cases were heard throughout the day.

There have also been petitions challenging various laws governing Hindu temples. A five-member bench headed by the CJI has also decided to hear the economic reservation i.e. 10 percent reservation for EWS and religion-based reservation (reservation given to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh on the basis of being socially and educationally backward). Regular hearing on these will start from September 13. If this happens, then it is clear that before the retirement of Justice Lalit, that is, by November 8, the decision will come in both these cases. Apart from this, the bench of Justice Lalit has also reserved its decision after completing the hearing on the issue of PF pension, which can be decided at any time.