Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud declared on Saturday that the district judiciary must cease being referred to as inferior since it is the “backbone of the judiciary” and an essential part of the rule of law.
He brought up the fact that even while judges are experts, their own “brush with reality” might have a negative impact on their mental health, pointing to the rise of female district judges in recent years.
During the ‘National Conference of the District Judiciary’, which was officially opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice Chandrachud stated that the district judiciary serves as the initial point of contact for any citizen seeking justice.
“The district judiciary is a crucial component of the rule of law,” he stated. He said, “Data on the NJDG (National Judicial Data Grid) reveals a basic truth – the district judiciary is not just the first but is also the final point of contact for citizens” .
According to the CJI, there could be a variety of causes, including the fact that many people cannot afford legal counsel, are unaware of their statutory rights, and have trouble physically accessing courts due to geography.
“The quality of our work and the conditions in which we provide justice to citizens determine whether they have confidence in us and is a test of our own accountability to society,” he stated.
Justice Chandrachud stated, “The spine is the core of the nervous system. The district judiciary is therefore called upon to shoulder tremendous responsibility and is aptly described as the ‘backbone of the judiciary’.” We need to abandon referring to the district judiciary as the “subordinate” judiciary in order to preserve the integrity of the legal system.
He declared that, seventy-five years after independence, it was time to bury one last remnant of the British Empire: the subservient colonial mentality.
The CJI made reference to the “multifarious responsibilities” of judges, stating that it was challenging for a judge to remain impartial in the face of the real suffering that every one of us witnesses on a daily basis—a family that has endured a horrific crime, an undertrial that has been incarcerated for years, or the children involved in a parental divorce.
“Even though judges are experts, their personal experiences with reality have an impact on them. As a result, their mental health can deteriorate. Although this component is very important, it regrettably does not get the attention it deserves “said the speaker.
Judge Chandrachud stated that the third conference session on judicial wellness, which focused on holistic wellness, stress management, mental health, and quality of life, was a step towards a more candid discussion on the subject.
Regarding the integration of technology into the legal system, he stated that between 2023 and 2024, 714 district court websites were hosted on the Government of India’s S3waaS, and 46.48 crore pages of court records were scanned or digitalised.
He claimed that the NJDG, which includes real-time data on over four crore cases in district and high courts, is a data goldmine for individuals as well as attorneys.
970 e-sewa kendras at district court complexes, with the exception of 27 in the high court’s grounds, were operational, according to the CJI.
According to him, e-sewa kendras help litigants and solicitors with electronic processes by offering support for electronic filing, updating clients on the status of their cases, and other services.
By doing this, these institutes make sure that the digitisation of the legal system doesn’t negatively impact regular people in any manner. According to the CJI, “They reflect the principle animating citizen-centric services – ‘no person left behind’ and bridge the digital divide where it exists.”
More than 22,000 courtrooms and more than 3,500 court buildings have been computerised, he claimed, thanks to the e-courts project.
“The district judiciary, has played a crucial role in deploying technology in day-to-day affairs: district courts in the country have heard 2.3 crore cases through video conferencing,” Justice Chandrachud stated.
He claimed that 73,000 translated Supreme Court rulings were available to the public and that the court’s rulings were being translated into every language recognised by the Constitution.
According to Justice Chandrachud, ensuring that courts were centred around the needs of citizens required more than just buying technology.
“Rather, we must embrace and implement technological processes by utilising the technology at our disposal and ensuring their full use in our work,” he stated.
The CJI also discussed facts regarding the shifting demographics of the judiciary.
“Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of women joining the district judiciary. In 2023, women made up 58% of Rajasthan’s total civil judge recruitment, the speaker stated.
He stated that women made up 54% of the appointments for civil judges (junior division) in Uttar Pradesh in the batch of 2022, compared to 66% of judicial officers appointed in Delhi in 2023.
In Kerala, women made up 72% of all judicial officers as per the most recent hiring. These are just a few instances that demonstrate the promise of the future judiciary, according to Justice Chandrachud.
In addition to Chief Justice Modi, other speakers included Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Supreme Court judge Sanjiv Khanna, Attorney General R Venkataramani, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association Kapil Sibal, and Chairman of the Bar Council of India Manan Kumar Mishra.
The Supreme Court is in charge of organising the two-day event.