CJI vows reforms in working of Supreme Court Registry

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Thursday (February 26, 2026) vowed reform in the working of the Supreme Court Registry after finding that similar cases are being listed for hearing before different Benches of the court.

The Chief Justice, in a cutting remark, said there were officials who view Supreme Court judges as transients while themselves as settled residents of the court.

“There are employees or officials who think they are here for 20 or 30 years. They justify that a judge would go a maximum of eight years in the Supreme Court. So they think we [judges] come and go and they are the permanent people, and therefore things must happen as they want. That is what is bothering me. If I am not able to bring this reform before I demit office, then it will be a failure of my duty,” Chief Justice Kant said.

The case concerned a writ petition filed by Irfan Solanki raising the contention that the definition of ‘organised crime’ in the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act was repugnant to Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a Central law which replaced the Indian Penal Code. The counsel for the petitioner, senior advocate Shoeb Alam, said the case was listed before the Chief Justice Bench when identical petitions on the same question of repugnancy were pending before another Bench of the apex court.

Mr. Alam, exasperated at one point, asked the Chief Justice to allow him to withdraw the petition. However, the CJI said he should not withdraw, and the petition would be a case in point in further reforms in the Registry working.

“The matter requires a deeper probe. This is about the functioning of the Registry of this court. The biggest challenge before me is the Registry of this court, so I have to hold a deeper probe into how a matter, after one Bench has expressed a final opinion, travels to the another Bench…” Chief Justice Kant said.