Watch | 'What is Happening to Article 21?': Justice Rekha Sharma

Former Delhi high court judge Justice Rekha Sharma said at the seminar, organised by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CAJR) in collaboration with The Wire and LiveLaw, that the question is not just about the roster of judges, but “who assigns the case and who decides the matter,” she said.

In an apparent reference to former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who led the five-judge constitution bench in the Ayodhya title dispute case and subsequently was appointed to the Rajya Sabha, Justice Sharma also said there are three pronounced advantages of the roster system which “fortunately or unfortunately have become public.”

“Number one, the master of the roster can constitute a bench of his own choice and himself preside over it even in the very personal matter. Number two, by intelligently making use of that power, he can assure himself even after his retirement, a cosy job like a seat in Rajya Sabha or governorship in some state. Number three, by intelligently using his power he can equally benefit his very worthy and dearest colleagues too,” she said.

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