Roster

Sanctity of Roster

Punjab and Haryana High Court - Sanctity of Roster - It cannot be said that the learned Single Judge was oblivious of the Roster - It is trite to say that the allocation and distribution of the judicial work has to be as per the Roster assigned by the Chief Justice and thus, if the learned Single Judge found that the petition was liable to be treated as a Public Interest Litigation, then the matter ought to have been placed before the appropriate Bench - Learned Single Judge cannot entertain a petition in respect of which jurisdiction has not been assigned to him by the Chief Justice as the order passed by the Court may be without jurisdiction and make the Judge a ‘coram non-judice’ - We are thus of the view that the judicial discipline demanded that on having come to a conclusion that the petition must proceed being akin to a Public Interest Litigation, the same should have been directed to be placed before the appropriate Bench as per Roster and it was not for the learned Single Judge to give his opinion in the matter - Such an opinion is effectively by a Judge who is a ‘coram non-judice’. (173) PLR 347