CJI: Tech must be used to promote equity, inclusivity

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, February 3

Noting that technology has emerged as a “powerful force” for justice, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday said it must be ensured that technological solutions were designed keeping equity and inclusivity in mind.

Addressing the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) - Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitors General Conference here, the CJI said, “The eCourts Project, for instance, aims to leverage technology to improve access to justice for all citizens. However, we must ensure that technological solutions are designed keeping in mind equity and inclusivity, taking into account the diverse needs and capabilities of all our stakeholders.”

“As we stand at the intersection of tradition and innovation, technology emerges as a powerful force for justice. While it promises to enhance the speed and accessibility of justice, we must navigate carefully. The deep-seated structural and financial hierarchies within Indian society demand consideration to ensure that technology does not inadvertently exacerbate existing problems,” he said. Pointing out that modernising courtrooms and facilities was as crucial as bolstering overall infrastructure, the CJI said there was a need to ensure that technology served to enhance transparency and accountability and not perpetuate opacity and inequality.

“Technology should bring about a transformation, not just automation,” CJI Chandrachud said in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

“Let’s embrace the challenges before us with optimism and resolve. Together, we can forge a future where justice knows no bounds and where the rule of law reigns supreme,” the CJI added.

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