Reduce blockades to justice is important task for courts: CJI Chandrachud

CJI D Y Chandrachud addressed the difficulties the judiciary faces, including removing obstacles to accessing justice and improving court facilities. Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud stated that the Supreme Court has been the vanguard of institutional governance by enhancing access to justice and promoting constitutional values. He also added that the effectiveness of courts is determined by how well they are able to carry out their constitutionally mandated duties.

The nation’s first judge highlighted the importance of the Supreme Court in providing a safe democratic space for individuals to seek protection of their rights and liberties and listed the challenges that the judiciary will face while speaking at an event hosted by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to commemorate Independence Day. Eliminating obstacles in getting justice is the most important one, Justice Chandrachud emphasised.

The CJI further stated that the last 76 years imply that the history of the Indian judiciary has been the history of the day-to-day battles of the Indian people in front of Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

According to justice Chandrachud, courts in independent India have made sure that the law, regardless of a person’s social or economic standing, radiates human compassion and responds favourably to their situation. How well courts can carry out their constitutional obligations is a key indicator of their effectiveness.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) made reference to the difficulties facing the Indian judicial system, saying that it must improve access to justice substantively by fostering public faith in the courts’ competence to administer justice as well as procedurally by removing barriers that hinder people from seeking legal assistance.

“And we have a plan in place to ensure that the future judiciary in India will be inclusive and reachable by everyone. We must prioritise a judicial infrastructure upgrade if we are to make our courts inclusive and accessible. To face the difficulties of the future, we put a focus on modernising the court system,” the judge remarked.

The Supreme Court currently has 16-17 court halls. The CJI announced plans to build a new building that will house 27 additional courts, 51 judge chambers, 4 registrar court rooms, 16 registrar chambers and other necessary facilities for attorneys and litigants.

“The new building will reflect the constitutional aspirations, beliefs, and priorities of the Indian people, in addition to providing a space that facilitates access to justice,” he stated. In addition to modernising the physical infrastructure, justice Technology, according to Chandrachud, is the best weapon for removing the judicial systems’ inefficiency and opaqueness.

According to the CJI, the objective is to build a legal system that is more easily reachable, economical, and affordable for everyone who wants justice. He emphasised that “the recent initiatives of the Supreme Court, such as live streaming of court proceedings, translation of judgement from English to vernacular languages, and live transcription of court proceedings will contribute towards transparency of our legal processes.”