In short. The Delhi High Court roster is the Chief Justice's order that decides which judge or bench hears which kind of case. If you have a case at the court, or are about to file one, the roster tells you whether it goes to a single judge or a Division Bench, and in which court room. It is revised every few months and published on the court's website. Find your case type, check the current roster, and plan with your lawyer around the bench that will actually hear you.
Is this your situation?
- Your case number starts with letters like W.P.(C), CRL.M.C., RFA or LPA and you want to know what they mean for who hears it.
- Your matter was listed before one judge and is now shown before a different court number.
- You have been told your appeal will go to a 'DB' and want to know why it is not a single judge.
- You are deciding whether a property or money dispute belongs on the High Court's original side or in a district court.
- Your order sheet says 'part-heard' or 'list before another bench' and you want to understand it.
- You live outside Delhi and want to know whether the court has a bench closer to you.
- You need an urgent order during the summer vacation and want to know who hears it.
Key points
- There is only one seat. All Delhi High Court benches sit at the Sher Shah Road complex in New Delhi; there are no outlying circuit benches.
- The Chief Justice controls the roster. The Chief Justice decides which judge hears which category of case, and no litigant can choose a judge.
- Case type decides the bench. Bail, quashing and most civil revisions go to single judges; PILs, LPAs, family court appeals, tax appeals and writs against CAT orders usually go to Division Benches.
- The roster changes. A matter can move to a new bench when the roster is revised, unless it is part-heard or specifically retained.
- Check the current roster before every phase of your case. It is published on the court's own website, along with the cause list.
One court, one building: what 'Delhi High Court benches' means
In some states, 'bench' means a separate seat of the High Court in another city, like the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. Delhi has nothing like that. The Delhi High Court was set up under the Delhi High Court Act 1966 with its seat in New Delhi, and every bench sits in the court complex at Sher Shah Road, near India Gate and Pragati Maidan. When lawyers here talk about Delhi High Court benches, they mean the individual courts inside that complex: a single judge sitting alone, or two judges sitting together as a Division Bench, each in a numbered court room.
The court has a sanctioned strength of 60 judges, made up of permanent and additional judges, though the number actually in office is often lower because of vacancies. By tradition the Chief Justice sits in the first court room, with the Division Bench that takes public interest cases. The court rooms are spread across the main building and the newer blocks in the complex, and the court number shown in the cause list is what you follow on the day.
This page is written by a private law firm. It is not the court's official website. For the official roster, cause lists, case status and notifications, use the Delhi High Court's own website. Our guide on checking Delhi High Court case status and the cause list explains where to look.
For people living in Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad or Ghaziabad, this matters in a practical way. There is no nearer bench to approach. Either the Delhi High Court has jurisdiction over your case, and you come to Sher Shah Road (or join the hybrid hearing online), or the case belongs in your own state's High Court.
Division Bench or single judge: who hears what
The basic unit is the single judge. Most fresh writ petitions, bail applications, petitions to quash FIRs, civil revisions, first appeals from district courts, and suits on the original side are heard by one judge sitting alone. A single judge has the full power of the High Court for that case. A bail order from a single judge is a High Court order in every sense.
A Division Bench is two judges sitting together. Some categories go to a Division Bench because a statute says so, some because the court's rules or long practice say so, and some because the Chief Justice assigns them that way in the roster. Public interest litigation, Letters Patent appeals against single judge judgments, appeals against family court decisions, income tax and customs appeals, writs against Central Administrative Tribunal orders, habeas corpus petitions and appeals in UAPA and NIA cases are the main Division Bench categories in Delhi. Serious criminal appeals, such as appeals against life sentences in murder cases, and death references also go to Division Benches.
A Full Bench, of three or more judges, sits only when a question is referred to it. That usually happens when two benches of the court have taken different views and the point needs to be settled for everyone. In December 2025, for example, a Full Bench of the Delhi High Court considered whether the separation and waiting periods for mutual consent divorce can both be waived. Full Bench rulings bind every single judge and Division Bench of the court until the Supreme Court says otherwise.
The split between a Division Bench and a single judge affects you in three ways. It affects speed, because Division Benches handle heavy lists and often fewer of them sit. It affects the next remedy: a single judge's judgment on the original side or in a writ can often be taken to a Division Bench by a Letters Patent appeal, while a Division Bench judgment can only be taken to the Supreme Court. And it affects how the case is argued, because a two-judge bench tends to expect tighter written submissions.
Which bench usually hears which case
| Type of case (common filing label) | Usual bench | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Regular and anticipatory bail (BAIL APPLN.) | Single judge | Several judges may hold bail rosters at once; the case goes to the one assigned for that category |
| Quashing petitions under Section 528 BNSS, old 482 CrPC (CRL.M.C.) | Single judge | Settlement-based quashing often goes through mediation before the same bench |
| Criminal revision (CRL.REV.P.) | Single judge | Includes revisions against charge, summoning and maintenance orders |
| Criminal appeal against conviction (CRL.A.) | Single judge for most; Division Bench for serious cases such as life sentence appeals | Death references always go to a Division Bench |
| UAPA and NIA Act appeals | Division Bench | Section 21 NIA Act requires a Division Bench; 90-day limit |
| Civil writ petitions (W.P.(C)) on most subjects | Single judge | Subject-wise rosters: service, education, land, passports, municipal, and so on |
| Writ against a CAT order | Division Bench | Follows L. Chandra Kumar (1997) |
| Tax writs and income tax or customs appeals (ITA, CUSAA) | Division Bench | Appeals only on substantial questions of law |
| Public interest litigation | Division Bench, usually the Chief Justice's court | Delhi High Court (Public Interest Litigation) Rules 2010 apply |
| Letters Patent appeal (LPA) | Division Bench | Against many single judge judgments in writs and on the original side |
| Family court appeal (MAT.APP.(F.C.)) | Division Bench | 30-day limit under Section 19 Family Courts Act |
| Original side suits above Rs 2 crore (CS(OS)) | Single judge, with Joint Registrars for procedural stages | Pecuniary limit may change; check the current figure |
| Commercial suits (CS(COMM)) and commercial appeals | Commercial Division single judge; appeals to the Commercial Appellate Division (two judges) | Section 13 appeal within 60 days |
| IP suits, trademark and patent appeals | Intellectual Property Division single judge | IPD Rules 2022; appeals to a Division Bench |
| Civil first appeals, second appeals, Article 227 petitions, rent revisions (RFA, RSA, CM(M), RC.REV.) | Single judge | First appeals from district courts are valuation based |
What the Delhi High Court roster is and who makes it
The Delhi High Court roster is an administrative order signed on behalf of the Chief Justice. It lists every court room, the judge or judges sitting there, and the categories of cases that court will hear for the period it covers. A typical entry reads something like 'Court No. X: civil writ petitions relating to service matters of a certain kind, fresh and regular matters'. Another may say 'bail applications, regular matters' or 'criminal appeals, Division Bench'.
The power to make the roster belongs to the Chief Justice alone. The Supreme Court settled this in State of Rajasthan v. Prakash Chand (1998), and confirmed it in Shanti Bhushan v. Supreme Court of India (2018): the Chief Justice is the 'master of the roster', and no judge can take up a case that the roster has not given to that judge. In plain terms, a litigant cannot choose which judge will hear the matter, and a judge cannot choose to hear a case that is not assigned.
The roster is usually revised every few months, often at the start of a term or after the summer or winter vacation, and sometimes in between when a judge is transferred, appointed or elevated. Each revision is published on the court's website. A new roster can move whole categories of cases from one court to another overnight. That is why your case may be listed before a different court number from one date to the next, with no fault on anyone's part.
The roster does not decide the outcome, and it is not something to game. But it does decide practical things: which day of the week a category is taken, whether fresh matters are taken first, how long the list is, and whether the bench has a heavy backlog.
How to find which bench will hear your case
These steps work for a case already filed and for one you are about to file.
Identify the case type
Look at the case number prefix on your filing receipt or order sheet, such as W.P.(C), CRL.M.C., BAIL APPLN., RFA, LPA or CS(COMM). If the case is not yet filed, ask your lawyer which category it will be registered under. The category, not the subject in everyday words, is what the roster uses.
Open the current roster
Download the latest roster from the Delhi High Court website and check its effective date. Older rosters stay online, so make sure you are reading the one now in force.
Find the category and court number
Search the roster for your category. Writs are often split by subject (service, education, municipal, land, taxation), and the same category may be divided between courts by year of filing or by whether the case is fresh or regular.
Match it with the cause list
Check the daily cause list for your case number. The cause list shows the court number, the bench and the serial number of your case for that day. If it differs from what the roster suggests, the case may be part-heard or specifically assigned.
Recheck before each date
Whenever a new roster is published, check again. A new roster can move your case to another bench, and it can change the day of the week when your category is taken.
If the roster shows your category in more than one court, the Registry allocates cases between them by its own system. You do not choose, and neither does your lawyer.
The original side and the appellate side
The Delhi High Court is unusual among High Courts because it still hears ordinary civil suits as a trial court. This is its original side. Suits valued above Rs 2 crore at present (a proposal to raise this limit is pending, so check the current position) are filed directly in the High Court, along with probate cases of high value, company-related suits and many arbitration petitions. Smaller cases go to the district courts. Our guide on the Rs 2 crore rule explains how the value is worked out.
The original side runs under the Delhi High Court (Original Side) Rules 2018. A suit is first listed before a single judge, who deals with summons, interim injunctions and important applications. Routine procedural stages, such as completing service, filing of written statements and replications, and admission and denial of documents, are handled by Joint Registrars sitting in their own courts. Once pleadings are complete, the case returns to the judge for framing of issues, or is sent to a Local Commissioner to record evidence.
The appellate side covers everything else: appeals and revisions from district courts and tribunals, criminal matters, and writ petitions. Here the case is heard by a judge or bench from the first date, with the Registrar's court handling some service and procedural matters.
An appeal from a single judge on the original side goes to a Division Bench of the same court. Depending on the type of case, that is a Letters Patent appeal, a regular first appeal from the original side, or a commercial appeal. Our page on Letters Patent appeals in the Delhi High Court explains when this intra-court appeal is available.
The specialised divisions: commercial and intellectual property
Under the Commercial Courts Act 2015, the Delhi High Court has a Commercial Division, made up of single judges who hear commercial suits of value above the pecuniary limit, and a Commercial Appellate Division of two judges who hear appeals under Section 13. Commercial suits follow stricter timelines, including the 120-day outer limit for written statements and case management hearings. Our guide on which commercial cases go to the Commercial Division covers the specified value and the mediation requirement under Section 12A.
After the Tribunals Reforms Act 2021 abolished the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, the Delhi High Court created an Intellectual Property Division and notified its IPD Rules 2022. The IPD hears trade mark, copyright, patent and design suits, and also appeals and rectification matters that used to go to the Board. Our guide on the Intellectual Property Division explains what is filed there.
These divisions are not separate courts in a separate building. They are judges of the same High Court, assigned by the roster to commercial or IP work. The practical difference is in the rules: shorter time limits, stricter pleading requirements, and judges who hear such cases every day.
If your dispute is commercial and its value is below the High Court's limit, it goes to the district commercial courts, not the Commercial Division. The sister site commercialcourtlawyer.com covers that route in more detail.
How the criminal side is arranged
Criminal work at the Delhi High Court is split across several single judges and a smaller number of Division Benches. Bail applications under Section 483 BNSS (old Section 439 CrPC) and anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS (old Section 438 CrPC) are usually spread over more than one single judge, sometimes divided by police district, by year of filing or by whether the matter is fresh. Petitions to quash FIRs, criminal revisions and appeals against conviction in less serious cases each have their own rostered judges.
Division Benches take criminal appeals in the gravest cases, death references, appeals under Section 21 of the NIA Act in UAPA cases, and criminal writs such as habeas corpus. A person challenging preventive detention under COFEPOSA will also usually be before a Division Bench.
Because criminal rosters are divided, two co-accused in the same FIR may at first find their bail applications listed before different judges. In practice, the Registry or the court often tags later applications in the same FIR to the bench that heard the first one, so that bail decisions stay consistent. Your lawyer should tell the court in the bail application if a co-accused has already been heard, and by which bench.
When Advocate B.K. Singh files a second bail application for someone after the first was dismissed, he states in the opening paragraph which bench decided the first one and when. The court often wants the later application placed before the same judge if that judge still holds the roster, and saying so upfront avoids a wasted date while the Registry sorts out the listing.
When the roster changes: part-heard, tied-up and released matters
When a new roster takes effect, most pending cases simply follow their category to whichever court now holds it. A few do not. A case is 'part-heard' when a bench has started hearing final arguments, and such cases usually stay with that bench even after the roster changes, so the judges who heard half the argument can finish it. Some cases are specifically retained by a bench through an order, often because the judge has been monitoring compliance.
You will also see the phrase 'list before another bench, subject to orders of Hon'ble the Chief Justice'. This usually means a judge has recused, because of a personal connection with a party or lawyer, or for another reason the judge need not explain. The file goes back to the Chief Justice, who assigns it to another bench. It is not a judgment on the case.
A matter can also be 'released' by a bench, which is an order that the bench will not hear it further, sending it back to the roster. Litigants sometimes read such orders as bad news. They are usually neutral. Our guide on what Delhi High Court order sheet terms mean explains these and other phrases.
What you should do when your case moves: check the new court number, see whether the new bench takes your category on a particular day, and ask your lawyer whether any written note should be refreshed for a judge coming to the case for the first time.
Registrars, Joint Registrars and the mediation centre
Not every listing is before a judge. The Registry is headed by the Registrar General, with Registrars and Joint Registrars under the Chief Justice's administrative control. Joint Registrars hear routine stages of original side suits and some appellate matters: completing service on all respondents, taking pleadings on record, marking documents, and dealing with requests for adjournment at those stages. A Joint Registrar cannot decide a contested injunction or the case itself.
If your order sheet shows a listing before the 'Joint Registrar (Judicial)', the work that day is usually procedural. Attend through your lawyer and make sure every pending step (affidavit of service, written statement, documents) is ready, because a Joint Registrar can record a default and send the case back to the judge with a note.
The court also runs Samadhan, its mediation and conciliation centre, inside the complex. Any bench can refer a case there, including matrimonial disputes, commercial disputes and criminal cases where quashing on settlement is being considered. Our guide on Samadhan, the Delhi High Court mediation centre describes how referrals work.
Lok Adalats are also organised by the High Court's legal services committee from time to time. These are not part of the roster; a case gets there by reference.
Vacations, vacation benches and urgent matters
The Delhi High Court takes a summer vacation, usually in June, and a shorter winter break around the end of December. During these periods regular benches do not sit, but vacation benches do. A separate vacation roster is published listing which judges sit on which days and what kind of matters they will take, usually urgent bail, interim relief, habeas corpus and matters where delay would make the case pointless.
Not everything can be taken up during vacation. A routine writ or a regular appeal will wait for the reopening. If you need an order during vacation, your lawyer has to show urgency in an application, and the vacation bench decides whether to hear it.
Outside vacations, a lawyer can also ask the court for early listing through the mentioning procedure. Our guide on urgent listing and mentioning in the Delhi High Court explains when and how this is done.
Practically, plan around the calendar. If an eviction, a demolition or a deportation is likely in late May or June, file before the vacation begins if you can. An urgent hearing before a vacation bench is available, but the bar for urgency is higher and the list is crowded.
What to note from your case file so you can follow the bench
- Full case number with prefix and year, for example W.P.(C) 1234/2026
- Diary number from filing, if the case is not yet registered
- Court number and bench on the last date, as shown in the order sheet
- Whether the order says part-heard, released or list before another bench
- The next date and whether it is before the court or a Joint Registrar
- Effective date of the roster you are relying on
- Your lawyer's name as it appears in the cause list, so you can search by advocate name
- The link for hybrid hearings, if your lawyer has asked you to join
A made-up example: the Gurugram engineer's service writ
Here's a made-up example. Rohan works for a central public sector company and lives in Gurugram. He has been denied a promotion and wants to challenge it. His company is not covered by the CAT, so his remedy is a writ under Article 226 in the Delhi High Court, where the company's head office sits.
His lawyer files the writ. It is registered as W.P.(C) and goes, under the current roster, to a single judge who holds 'service matters of public sector undertakings, fresh'. Notice is issued on the first date and the case is listed for two months later.
Before that date a new roster is published. Service matters of PSUs are now with a different single judge. Rohan sees a new court number in the cause list and worries that something has gone wrong. His lawyer explains that the whole category has moved and the case is not part-heard.
The writ is eventually dismissed by the single judge. Rohan's lawyer files a Letters Patent appeal, which goes to a Division Bench. If the Division Bench also rules against him, his only remaining route will be a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. This chain, single judge, then Division Bench, then the Supreme Court, is how most writ cases move through the court. This is only an illustration.
Common misunderstandings about benches and rosters
- 'My lawyer can get me a particular judge.' No one can. The Chief Justice's roster decides, and the Registry allocates. A lawyer who suggests otherwise is a warning sign.
- 'A Division Bench is a higher court.' It is the same High Court with two judges. A Letters Patent appeal from a single judge goes to a Division Bench, but both are parts of one court.
- 'A new court number means my case was transferred for a reason.' Usually it means the roster changed. Check the order sheet for words like 'released' or 'another bench' before assuming anything.
- 'There must be a Delhi High Court bench in Gurugram or Noida.' There is none. Haryana matters usually go to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and UP matters to the Allahabad High Court, unless part of the cause of action arose in Delhi or the action is by a central authority in Delhi under Article 226(2).
- 'A Joint Registrar's date is a wasted date.' It is a procedural date, but defaults there are recorded and can cost you later.
- 'The vacation bench will hear anything.' Only urgent matters, and only after urgency is shown.
Where the Delhi High Court sits in the chain of courts
Below the High Court are the district courts at Tis Hazari, Saket, Patiala House, Karkardooma, Rohini, Dwarka and Rouse Avenue, the family courts, and many tribunals such as the Rent Control Tribunal and the Appellate Tribunal MCD. The High Court supervises them all under Article 227 and hears appeals and revisions from them.
Above the High Court is only the Supreme Court. A judgment of a Division Bench, or a single judge's judgment where no intra-court appeal lies, can be challenged only by a special leave petition under Article 136.
Advocate B.K. Singh's advice to clients who are about to file is to look at the next step before the first one. If a case will be heard by a single judge, the losing side may have a Letters Patent appeal to a Division Bench, which means a longer route before finality. If it starts before a Division Bench, the next step is the Supreme Court. That changes how much effort goes into the record and the first round of arguments.
Our page on the Delhi High Court sets out the main kinds of cases heard there and how they are filed.
Getting help with your case at the right bench
Knowing how the court is organised will not win a case, but it removes a lot of anxiety. You will know why your case moved, why it is before two judges, why a Joint Registrar is dealing with it, and what the next remedy is if you lose. If you are about to file, the type of case and the bench it goes to should shape how the papers are prepared and how much time you plan for.
If you would like advice on your papers, on which bench your matter is likely to reach, or updates on changes to the law and practice at the Delhi High Court, contact Advocate B.K. Singh.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the Delhi High Court roster?
The current roster is published on the Delhi High Court's official website, usually under a section for rosters or notifications. Check the effective date at the top, because earlier rosters remain online. The daily cause list then shows exactly which court your case is in on a given day.
Can I ask for my case to be heard by a different judge?
Not because you prefer another judge. The Chief Justice allocates work through the roster. A transfer request is possible only on serious grounds, such as a real conflict of interest, and is made on the administrative side; a judge may also recuse on their own.
Why was my case listed before two judges instead of one?
Some types of case are assigned to Division Benches by law, by the court's rules or by the roster: PILs, LPAs, family court appeals, tax appeals and writs against CAT orders are common examples. It does not mean your case is more serious or that something has gone wrong.
How often does the Delhi High Court roster change?
It is usually revised every few months, often after a vacation or at the start of a term, and also when judges join or leave. A revision can move your case to a new court number. Part-heard cases normally stay with their bench.
What is a Full Bench in Delhi High Court?
A Full Bench has three or more judges and is formed when a question of law needs an authoritative answer, usually because two benches have disagreed. Its decision binds every bench of the court. Full Benches are formed by the Chief Justice on a reference.
Is there a Delhi High Court bench for NCR cities?
No. The Delhi High Court sits only at Sher Shah Road in New Delhi. Residents of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram or Faridabad come to the Delhi High Court only when it has jurisdiction, for example because part of the cause of action arose in Delhi or the action is by a central authority based in Delhi.
What does 'not reached' mean in the cause list?
It means the court could not take up your case that day because the list was too long. The court usually gives a new date or the case is listed again automatically. It is not a default by either side.
Can a single judge hear a case against the Union government?
Yes. Most writ petitions against central ministries and the Delhi government are heard by single judges, depending on the subject in the roster. Only some categories, such as writs against CAT orders and tax matters, usually go to Division Benches.
Advocate B.K. Singh
Founder of B.K. Singh & Associates. MCA, LL.B., LL.M. More than twenty years in practice before the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, Delhi district courts and tribunals. This guide was written and reviewed by his team.
This guide explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. For advice on your own papers, contact the team.
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