NEW DELHI:  In an unprecedented move, the Chief Justice of India has set up a special bench of two judges to hear cases related to social issues.

Chief Justice HL Dattu said starting next week, the “Social Justice Bench” will meet every Friday afternoon to handle Public Interest Litigations (PILs) and other petitions on issues ranging from the availability of night shelters for the homeless to whether children in government schools are being provided free mid-day meals and the efficacy of the Public Distribution Scheme which is meant to provide poor families access to subsidized grain.

He said the Supreme Court must play “a proactive role to meet the goals of the constitution.”

The two judges who will handle these cases every Friday are Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice UU Lalit.    (Courtesy: NDTV)