Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud told the first SCAORA Conference at South Goa he wants the Supreme Court to remain a people's court for the future, even as he clarified this does not mean it should act as an Opposition to Parliament.
The CJI remarked, "One is entitled to criticize the court for the inconsistency of legal doctrine or an error but one cannot look at its role or its work from the perspective of outcomes." He underlined the need for retaining the access-to-justice paradigm evolved by the Supreme Court over the last 75 years. "Ours is not a court looking only at the big-ticket items," he said, underscoring the role of the court in dealing with issues that confront ordinary citizens.
The CJI also touched upon the increasing trend where people seem to view the court favorably when the judicial rulings are aligned with their interests, but criticize it when the order is against them. This is a dangerous proposition," he said, arguing that the outcome of cases should not be used to ascertain the merits of a court. "Judges are entitled to decide with a sense of independence on case-by-case basis," he declared, pointing out that the necessity to respect the court's independence comes in even when the verdicts are unfavourable.
Speaking to initiatives taken in such directions by the Supreme Court, the CJI spelt out the strides taken by the court on technological fronts such as e-filing of cases, digitisation of records, live-streaming of proceedings, and speech-to-text conversion for arguments before constitutional benches. While he conceded the transformative impact which live-streaming has brought the court's works within public reach, he made it unmistakable that it was an extension of commitment to greater access and transparency in the administration of justice. "Live-streaming has been a game-changer despite the flip sides of it," he said, noting that while it expands access, it also presents challenges, such as lawyers speaking to the gallery rather than focusing solely on the court.
The CJI said that through live-streaming, the notion that the Supreme Court only deals with cases of the rich and the influential has been wiped away. He said that practically the concerns of common people, including applications for bail or payment of pension arrears, were given serious attention by the court. "Live-streaming has taken the work of the Supreme Court of India to home and the heart of people", he summed up underlining commitment of the court towards deal with all citizens.
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