Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde on Tuesday said the backlog and the lack of infrastructure in lower courts for both the judges and the litigants, including women and senior citizens, need deeper attention and quick resolution.
The Chief Justice’s words found an echo in the address of President Ram Nath Kovind at a programme organised by the Supreme Court to celebrate the Constitution Day.
Justice N.V. Ramana quoted Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s words that no matter how good or bad a Constitution, its fate lies in the hands of the person’s wielding it.
“It is our duty, while celebrating the Constitution, to constantly strive to ensure that in implementing the same, it is one that will continue to prove to be good. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the case,” Justice Ramana said.
Chief Justice Bobde said, “We do not have the luxury of dealing with the backlog of cases in isolation from the flow of new cases to our courts — the demands of justice mean that we will have to deal with both. Together.”
Describing the subordinate judiciary as the backbone of the system, Chief Justice Bobde said they lacked proper facilities for litigants, including the differently abled. The courts do not even have proper display boards to show a case’s progress, only to name a few problems. He highlighted the importance of Artificial Intelligence in justice administration
The programme saw the President accept a copy of the “Indian Judiciary: Annual Report 2018-2019”, which showcases the initiatives and the achievements of the judiciary.
The official multilingual mobile app of the Supreme Court was also launched along with the “Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software” or ‘SUVAS’, which is a “machine assisted translation tool trained by Artificial Intelligence”.
