NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that District judiciary was the first touch point for justice for a common citizen of the country, therefore, it was of utmost priority that the first centers of justice should be capable and modern in every way.
Inaugurating the National Conference of District Judiciary at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, here, he began his address by recalling his visit to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Rajasthan High Court a few days ago and expressed gratitude for being present at the National Conference of District Judiciary being organized today as part of the 75th year celebrations of the Supreme Court of India.
Modi underlined that the Supreme Court of India’s journey of 75 years does not merely associate with one institution but is also a journey of India’s Constitution, its values and the journey of India evolving as a democracy. The Prime Minister highlighted the crucial role of the makers of the Constitution and the entire judicial system in this journey. He also mentioned the role of crores of citizens of India who entrusted this judicial system.
“People of India have never shown disbelief towards the Supreme Court of India or the judiciary”, PM Modi said.
Therefore, the Prime Minister said, the journey of 75 years of the Supreme Court of India emboldens India’s glory as the Mother of Democracy.
It strengthens the cultural proclamation of Satya Mev Jayate, Naanritam. Noting that the nation has completed 75 years of its independence and is about to celebrate 75 years of the Constitution, Prime Minister Modi said that the occasion is filled with pride and inspiration. He congratulated all fraternities of the judicial system and the citizens of India on the occasion and also his best wishes to those taking part in the National Conference of District Judiciary.
“Judiciary is considered as the Guardian of our Democracy”, underlined the Prime Minister.
Terming it as a huge responsibility in itself, Modi lauded the efforts of the Honorable Supreme Court in efficiently discharging its responsibilities in this direction.
Modi remarked that the Judiciary upheld the spirit of justice since Independence and praised the Judiciary for playing an important role in protecting the Constitution even during the troubled times of Emergency.
He further added that the Supreme Court also protected against the attacks on fundamental rights and whenever the question of national security arose, the judiciary protected the unity and integrity of India by keeping the national interest paramount. For all these achievements, Modi congratulated all the distinguished persons of the judiciary for these memorable 75 years.
Throwing light on the efforts in the past 10 years to facilitate justice, the Prime Minister mentioned the work being done for the modernisation of courts at the mission level and highlighted the contributions of the Supreme Court and the judiciary. He said that the National Conference for District Judiciary is another example of this and recalled the organization of ‘All India District Court Judges Conference’ by the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court.
Noting the importance of such events for initiating ease of justice, PM Modi highlighted the issues to be discussed in the next two days and gave examples of management of pending cases, human resources and improvement of the legal fraternity. Prime Minister Modi expressed happiness that a session on Judicial Wellness is also being organized in the next two days. “Personal wellness is the most important requirement of social well-being. This will help us to prioritize health in our work culture”, he added.
He emphasised, “Developed India, New India - is the desire and dream of 140 crore citizens in today’s Azadi ka Amrit Kaal”.
He added that New India meant a modern India with thinking and determination.
Modi underlined that the Judiciary was a strong pillar of this vision and the District Judiciary in particular, being the base of our Indian Judicial system. He remarked that the District judiciary was the first touch point for justice for a common citizen of the country. Therefore, he emphasized that it was of utmost priority that the first centers of justice should be capable and modern in every way. Expressing confidence, Modi said that the national conference and the discussions will help in fulfilling the expectations of the country.
Underlining that the standard of living of common citizens, determined by the ease of living, is the most meaningful parameter of development for any country, the Prime Minister said that simple and easy access to justice is imperative to ease of living.
He said that it can be made possible only when the district courts are equipped with modern infrastructure and technology. Pointing out the pendency of about 4.5 crore cases in the district courts, PM Modi said that work has been carried out at multiple levels in the last decade to eliminate this delay in justice. He informed that the country has spent about Rs 8,000 crore for the development of judicial infrastructure. He further added that 75 percent of the funds spent on judicial infrastructure in the last 25 years took place only in the last 10 years. “In these 10 years, more than 7.5 thousand court halls and 11 thousand residential units have been prepared for the District Judiciary”, he added.
Underlining the importance of e-Courts, Modi said that the intervention of technology has not only accelerated the judicial processes but also has rapidly reduced the problems of people ranging from lawyers to complainants. The Prime Minister highlighted that the courts were being digitized in the country and the e-Committee of the Supreme Court was playing an important role in all these efforts.
The Prime Minister noted that the third phase of the e-Courts project was approved in 2023. He added that India was moving towards creating a unified technology platform, which incorporated emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Optical character recognition. Modi highlighted that such technological platforms would help analyze pending cases and predict future cases as well. He added that technology would integrate and speed up the work of various departments like Police, forensics, jail and court. “We are moving towards a justice system which will be completely future-ready," Modi remarked.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the crucial role of policies and laws along with infrastructural and technological advancements in the transformational journey of the nation. Therefore, he said, the nation has made such big and important changes in the legal framework for the first time in 70 years of independence.
Referring to the new Indian judicial system in the form of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Prime Minister said that the spirit of these laws is 'Citizen First, Dignity First and Justice First'. He pointed out that India’s criminal laws have been freed from the colonial mindset of rulers and slaves. He gave the example of repealing a colonial-era law like sedition.
Throwing light on the idea behind the Nyaya Sanhita to not punish citizens but to protect them, PM Modi mentioned the implementation of stricter laws for crimes against women and children, and provisions of community service for punishment for minor crimes for the first time.
Modi also spoke about Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam and said that electronic and digital records have been recognized as evidence under the new laws. He also mentioned the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and said that a system is in place to send summons in electronic mode to reduce the burden of pending cases on the judiciary.
The Prime Minister also urged to take necessary steps to train the district judiciary in this new system under the guidance of the Supreme Court. He also suggested judges and lawyer colleagues become a part of this campaign. “Our lawyers and bar associations have an important role in making the public familiar with this new system”, he added.
Drawing the attention of the gathering against the burning issue, the Prime Minister emphasized that atrocities against women and the safety of children were a serious concern in the society today. Shri Modi highlighted that many strict legislations were enacted for the safety of women in the country. He added that in 2019, the government had planned to establish fast-track special courts. Explaining further, he said that there was a provision for a deposition center for important witnesses under the fast-track special courts.
He further emphasized the important role of District Monitoring Committees under fast-track special courts, consisting of the District Judge, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police. He added that the committee’s role was important in creating coordination between various aspects of the Criminal Justice System. Modi stressed on the need to make these committees more active. He added that the quicker the decisions in cases related to atrocities against women, the greater will be the assurance of safety for half the population.
Concluding the address, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the discussions taking place will yield valuable solutions for the country and will strengthen the path to ‘Justice to all’.
He also unveiled the stamp and coin commemorating 75 years of the establishment of the Supreme Court of India. The two-day Conference, organised by the Supreme Court of India, hosts five working sessions to deliberate and discuss the issues related to the District Judiciary such as Infrastructure and Human Resources, Inclusive Courtrooms for all, Judicial Security and Judicial Wellness, Case Management and Judicial Training.
Chief Justice of India, Justice D Y Chandrachud, Judges of the Supreme Court, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice B R Gavai, Union MoS (Independent Charge) for Law & Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General for India, R Venkataramani, President of Supreme Court Bar Association, Kapil Sibal and Chairman of Bar Council of India Manan Kumar Mishra were present on the occasion among others.
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