New Delhi (Agency): Today, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud stated that the biggest challenge the Indian judiciary faces is “to eliminate the barriers to accessing justice.” His goal is to ensure every individual, no matter their place in society, can access the judiciary. He spoke during the Independence Day celebrations held at the Supreme Court’s lawns.
“The future of the Indian judiciary,” he remarked, “is to be inclusive and accessible to the last person in the line.” This indicates the importance of making sure every Indian feels the court is open to them. He emphasized the need to rebuild the infrastructure to make courts more welcoming and easy to access for everyone.
Another major point was the use of technology. The CJI believes that technology can make the judicial system more efficient. “We have to tap into the full potential of technology to overcome procedural barriers to justice,” he stated. There’s a new project called the “e-courts project.” It has a budget of Rs 7,000 crore. This project will connect all courts in the country, create paperless courts, digitize all court records, and establish advanced service centers in every court complex. The idea is to make the judicial system more “accessible, cost-effective, and affordable” for everyone.
One more exciting update is about language accessibility. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech at the Red Fort, mentioned the Supreme Court’s effort to translate its judgements into various Indian languages. The CJI provided more details: “up to now, 9,423 judgements of the Supreme Court have been translated in regional languages.” These languages include Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu. This step makes it easier for people from all over India to understand court decisions in their native tongues.
But why is this all important? The CJI believes that every person’s ability to access justice is the real strength of the system. He reminded everyone that for the past 76 years, each institution, including the judiciary, has worked hard to strengthen the nation. Courts provide a safe place for people to ask for protection and rights. The CJI noted, “The past 76 years suggest that the Indian judiciary’s history is about the daily life struggles of Indian people.” No issue is too big or small for the courts, and they tackle everything.
To improve transparency in the legal process, there are plans to live-stream court proceedings. This will allow people to watch what happens in court from anywhere. The CJI also mentioned that they’re trying to speed up the process of checking cases in the Supreme Court.
To give an idea of how busy the courts are, the CJI shared some numbers. In March, 4,527 cases were filed, 22,282 were listed, and 4,086 were finished. In April, 4,716 cases were filed, and 4,700 were resolved.
The Chief Justice concluded by highlighting the future vision: “Our aim is to make sure our judicial systems meet the expectations of the Indian people. Courts should be strong, independent institutions.”
Today’s event saw various dignitaries in attendance, including Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, other Supreme Court judges, Attorney General R Venkataramani, and leaders of the Supreme Court Bar Association.