Chhattisgarh State Judicial Academy Hosts Conference On 'Empowering District Judiciary: Insights Into Criminal & Civil Laws'

The inaugural session of the conference was graced with the presence of Justice Surya Kant, Judge, Supreme Court of India, as Chief Guest, Justice PS Narasimha, Judge, Supreme Court of India, as Special Guest and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, Judge, Supreme Court of India as Distinguished Guest.

The inaugural session commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Chief Guest Justice Surya Kant.

In his special address, Justice Surya Kant emphasized the role of the District Judiciary as the first point of contact with the litigants in Civil and Criminal litigation at the threshold level. He stressed the role of Trial Judges in dealing with procedural technicalities and practical challenges posed by the District Judiciary.

Justice Surya Kant said that the Judges of the District Judiciary are first accountable to the High Court, their conscience, and, most importantly, to the public as consumers of Justice. He also added that any procedural technicalities and impediments can't hinder a judge's zeal and commitment to arrive at logical conclusions and decision-making.

He stressed that rather than adopting an individual approach towards any impediments, it should be addressed with an institutional approach towards effective redressal of such impediments. He also emphasized the need of the hour to address and discourage frivolous and chance litigations at the threshold level through a solid and bold District Judiciary.

In his keynote address, Justice PS Narasimha emphasized that the Constitution of India recognises district courts not just as statutory courts but as constitutional functionaries, as their origin is embedded in the Constitution.

He stressed that the District Judiciary provides the primary and most accessible interface for a litigant regarding linguistic and geographical accessibility.

He highlighted that the District Courts act as the first Guardians of personal liberty in both the Civil and Criminal domains and that Judges have a pivotal role in Judicial decision-making with reasoning.

Importantly, he cautioned that the judicial decision-making process must not be entirely dependent upon the use of technology or artificial intelligence as the same may adversely impact human decision-making and reasoning at certain points in time.

In his address, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra said that civil and criminal laws are pillars of the whole judicial system. He added that the law is interpreted and developed by High Courts and Supreme Courts based upon the foundation towards new approaches or interpretations put forth by District Courts.

In his introductory and welcome address, Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha expressed his profound honour and privilege in welcoming the Distinguished Guests from the Supreme Court of India.

Further, he highlighted the conference's objective - to foster a robust platform for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and best practices among judges and judicial officers.

Chief Justice Sinha also emphasized that the conference symbolizes a shared commitment to enriching and reinforcing the core of the Justice Delivery System—the District Judiciary. The synergy of minds would pave the way for innovative solutions and strategies for a more effective and efficient District Judiciary, he said.

A Book titled “District Courts of Chhattisgarh” highlighting the diversity in geography, culture and people with information about various District Courts across the State and scholarly articles from Judicial Officers was also unveiled during the Conference.

The inaugural session shared commitments to address the pressing issues faced by the District judiciary and to collaboratively seek solutions that will enhance the delivery of justice in Chhattisgarh.

The conference aimed to explore innovative strategies, share best practices, and envision a path to strengthen the judiciary.

The inaugural session concluded with a Vote of Thanks proposed by Chhatisgarh HC's Justice Sanjay K Agrawal.

The inaugural Session was followed by technical sessions. The First Technical Session was chaired by Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal and Justice Arvind Kumar Verma, and Civil Judges Dilli Singh Baghel, Shweta Shrivastava, Neha Yati Mishra, and Sarva Vijay Agrawal gave presentations.

Justice Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi and Justice Sachin Singh Rajput chaired the second technical session, which included presentations by Principal District Judges Vijay Kumar Hota, Sushma Sawant, Maneesh Kumar Thakur, and District Judge Neeru Singh.

During the technical sessions, challenges and innovative solutions for Civil and Criminal trial proceedings before District Judiciary were explicitly addressed.

The State Level Conference concluded with a Valedictory address delivered by Justice Parth Prateem Sahu.