The Supreme Court (SC) used automated system for hearing date starting from Monday.
Chief Justice (CJ) Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha picked date for hearing using the automated system on Monday, according to SC Spokesperson Bimal Paudel.
The date was earlier picked by SC staffers.
The SC had started to pick benches by draw from December 1, 2021 after accusation of rigging the bench.
The justices take part in the draw first for formation of benches, and then again for the cases after the benches have been formed.
All the justices including the CJ are assigned numbers on the basis of their ranking with the higher ranked justices taking turns to pick the balls first starting with the CJ. The justices are assigned single bench on the basis of the balls they draw.
The number of joint benches that has to be formed is decided by the number of justices present that day after drawing the single benches. The number of joint benches are half the number of justices remaining. Each of the joint benches are headed by the senior most justices who remain after picking the draw for single benches to ensure that each of the joint bench includes at least a senior justice. The remaining lower-ranked justices then draw the balls on the basis of seniority to decide which of the joint benches they join.
The process for the joint benches is reversed the next day though with the junior most justices who remain after picking the draw for single benches included in each of the joint benches to be picked. The remaining senior justices then pick balls to decide which of the joint benches they head. Each of the joint bench has one senior justice and one junior justice even in this manner.
Senior justices again head the joint benches the next day and junior justices draw balls to decide which of the joint benches they join and the process is reversed the next day and so on.
Full bench or extended full bench are also formed by picking draw on the days they have to be formed. Draw for the full bench and extended full bench are made first. Single and joint benches are then formed by draw with the justices remaining after forming the full or extended full bench.
