PM Modi Inaugurates National Conference Of District Judiciary, Says Speedy Justice Necessary In Crimes Against Women

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the two-day National Conference of the District Judiciary organised by the Supreme Court of India. The conference is attended by more than 800 judges across all judiciary.

PM Modi also released a Coin and a stamp commemorating 75 years of the establishment of the Supreme Court.

75 years of Constitution, Supreme Court and Constitutional Morals 

PM Modi said: "The 75 years of the Supreme Court does not just reflect a journey of the 75 years of an institution, it is also a journey of the Indian Constitution and its constitutional values. It is also a journey of India as a democracy has become more ripened. In this journey, the role of the drafters of the Indian Constitution and judiciary has been significant. Generations to generations, crores of Indian citizens have played a role through their staunch faith in the judiciary irrespective of any circumstances. Never have the Indian citizens' trust in the judiciary has been shaken. That is why, the 75 years of the Supreme Court increases the pride of India as the mother of democracy. This strengthens our traditional proclamation which says 'Satyamav Jayate-Nanritam [Truth alone trimphs-Not Falsehood].

PM added: "In our democracy, the judiciary is considered as the protector of the Constitution. This in itself is a big responsibility. We can say this with relief that the Supreme Court, our judiciary has made genuine attempts at fulfilling its responsibilities. After independence, the judiciary has protected the spirit of justice. Even when the Emergency was proclaimed, it is the judiciary that played a role in protecting the Constitution. Even when our fundamental rights were attacked, the judiciary came forward to protect us. Whenever the security of the country was in question, the judiciary kept the national interest at the highest consideration and protected the unity of the country."

He said: "In the last ten years, to make justice more efficient, the country has made many attempts. For the modernisation of courts, mission-level planning is taking place. In this, the support of the Supreme Court and judiciary has played a significant role and this conference on the district judiciary is an example of that. Before this, the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court organised the All India District Court Judges Conference. These events are very important for ease of justice."

PM Modi concluded his speech by stating that he is glad that the two-day conference includes a session on the well-being of district court judges. He said: "I have been told that in the two days, there will be a discussion on many important issues such as the management of pending cases, and human resources. The legal fraternity has decided what all important issues have to be discussed. I am very happy that with all this, in the next two days, they will also have a session on judicial wellness. Personal wellness is the first need of social wellness because this helps us in our work culture to prioritise. 

On technological advancement of courts

He added: "In the dawn of Amrit Kaal, 140 crore people have one dream, that is Vikshit Bharat [Advanced India] or Naya Bharat [New India]...Our judiciary, especially our district judiciary which is a means to achieve justice, is a strong pillar in achieving this vision. The first door a common man knocks to seek justice is the district judiciary. That is why, it is considered as the first ladder to justice. It therefore should be fully capable and advanced is the priority of this country...In a country, the simplest parameter to test development is life expectancy which is based on the ease of living. And simple and easy justice is a mandatory stake of ease of living. This will only be possible when the district judiciary has advanced infrastructure and technology". 

PM says that almost 4.5 crore cases are pending before district courts and efforts are being constantly made to address this. In the last 10 years, the country has spent 800 crores for the advancement of judicial infrastructure, which is 75 per cent of the total spent on the judiciary in the last 25 years. 

Future-ready Judiciary 

He also landed the Supreme Court for its courts project, phase III of which would commence from the period 2023-2027.

PM Modi stated the country is ready to develop a unified technology platform through which artificial intelligence, optical character recognition and other emerging technologies will be used to analyse pending cases, predict future litigations, and police, jail, forensics and courts will be integrated towards delivering speedy justice. 

He added that the three new laws Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam(BSA), that replaced the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act respectively on July 1, have played a role. 

He said: "These laws envisage citizens first, justice. Our criminal laws are now freed from the British-era mindset. British-era offences like Sedition have been repealed. The BNS attempts not to punish citizens but to protect them. That is why, the laws for offences against women and children have become stricter whereas, for the first time, for minor offences, the punishment is community service.  In BSA, for evidence, electronic and digital records have been recognised. Under BNSS, summons through electronic modes have been recognised. All these efforts would lessen the burden on the judiciary. I would recommend that the Supreme Court take the initiative to train the judiciary to test these new initiatives. Judges and advocates can become a part of this initiative."

PM Modi added: "To make the citizens aware of these new laws, the advocates and Bar Associations have a fundamental role."

Need for speedy justice in offences against women 

He particularly noted the issue of an increase in crime against women and children. He said: "There are existing laws which provide strict punishments for crimes against women. In 2019, the Government established fast-track special courts under which, deposition centres were established for witnesses. In this, the district monitoring committee plays a significant role. In this committee, there is a District Judge, District Magistrate, and Superintendent of Police are a part of it...We should make sure these Committees are active and working. For cases involving offences against women, the more speedy the justice will become, the better assurance it will give to the citizens that they are protected.”