Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering during the inauguration of the National Conference of District Judiciary, in New Delhi, Saturday.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said atrocities against women and the safety of children were a serious concern in the society as he highlighted that many strict legislations were enacted to deal with the issue.
Inaugurating the two-day national conference of the district judiciary at the Bharat Mandapam here, Modi said in 2019, the government had planned to establish fast-track special courts, with a provision for a deposition center for important witnesses under the special courts.
He emphasised the important role of District Monitoring Committees under fast-track special courts, consisting of the District Judge, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police. He said 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 as the quicker the decisions in cases related to atrocities against women, the greater will be the assurance of safety for half of India's population.
He said that the district judiciary was the first point of contact for justice for common citizens of the country, therefore, it was of utmost priority that the first centers of justice should be capable and modern in every way.
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 and are future ready.
Citing pendency of about 4.5 crore cases in the district courts, PM Modi said that work has been carried out at multiple levels over the last decade to eliminate this delay in justice. He said that the country had spent about Rs 8,000 crore for the development of judicial infrastructure.
Modi further added that 75 per cent 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 courts were being digitised in the country and the e-committee of the Supreme Court was playing an important role in all these efforts.
The PM noted that the third phase of the e-courts project was approved in 2023. He said that India was moving towards creating a unified technology platform, which incorporated emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and optical character recognition. Modi highlighted that such technological platforms would help analyse pending cases and predict future cases as well. He said that technology would integrate and speed up the work of various departments like police, forensics, jails and courts.
“We are moving towards a justice system which will be completely future-ready," Modi remarked.
He also mentioned the role of crores of citizens of India who trusted the judicial system.
"People of India have never shown disbelief towards the Supreme Court of India or the judiciary," PM Modi said.
He said, the journey of 75 years of the Supreme Court of India emboldens India’s glory as the 'mother of democracy'.
The Prime Minister hoped that the discussions in the conference 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 SC, will see 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.