Supreme Court's Doors Will Always Remain Open For Citizens: CJI DY Chandrachud Promises On Constitution Day

Chief Justice Chandrachud was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court.

He began his address by reflecting on the significance of celebrating Constitution Day in India, questioning the need for a separate celebration when we Independence Day and Republic Day are already celebrated. He emphasized that the occasion symbolises the social life of an independent nation, underscoring the success of India's democracy compared to other post-colonial nations –

“Why a separate Constitution Day? The answer lies in the success of our democracy as opposed to the countries that gained independence from colonialism at the same time as India. The history of decolonisation across the world is full of examples of countries that have thrown open the doors of independence only to falter at the steps of self-governance. India has not only maintained her Constitution but also the people have imbibed and internalised the Constitution as a symbol of their aspirations. The celebration of the Constitution Day thus symbolises the social life of an independent nation.”

In a bid to highlight the enduring strength of India's constitutional framework, he also noted that the Constitution has effectively channelled the energies of the people through institutional structures of government, steering the nation toward the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. “So, when we say we honour the adoption of the Constitution, first and foremost, we honour the fact that the Constitution exists, and second, that the Constitution works,” he explained. The chief justice also spoke about the ‘solemn duty’ of the current generations to continue the journey towards constitutional ideals –

“The Constitution and its framers successfully channelled the energies of independence to build a ship to chart a course for liberty, equality, and fraternity. As we honour their achievements, we must also recognise our generation's solemn duty to keep the ship afloat, ensure that there is wind in her sails, and continue the journey.”

With India approaching the 75^th year of the Constitution's adoption, Chief Justice Chandrachud also reflected on the Supreme Court's role as a ‘people's court’ over the past seven decades. He acknowledged the thousands of citizens seeking justice through the court in cases raising issues ranging from personal liberty to broader societal concerns like bonded labour, tribal land rights, workplace sexual harassment, and prevention of social evils like manual scavenging. He also stressed the apex court’s accessibility, pointing out that any citizen can set the constitutional machinery in motion by even writing to the Chief Justice of India –

“These cases are not just citations or statistics for the court, but they resemble people's expectations from the Supreme Court as well as the court's own commitment to deliver justice to the citizens. Our court is perhaps the only court in the world where any citizen can set into motion the constitutional machinery of the Supreme Court simply by even writing to the Chief Justice of India. From the postcards of the paper age to a simple email in the digital age – that is all that takes to move the Supreme Court for an urgent case listing, sometimes even on the same day.”

Other than this, Chief Justice Chandrachud highlighted the court's efforts to make its proceedings more transparent, such as live-streaming sessions, and its commitment to citizen-centric administrative processes. In this connection, the chief justice also discussed the court's engagement with technology, introducing e-seva kendras in all courts to ensure broader inclusion of citizens in the judicial process. Importantly, he announced the launch of the e-SCR platform in Hindi, which is expected to make judgments more accessible to a wider audience. During his address, he revealed –

“The Supreme Court also took a decision to translate its judgment to regional languages, with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning. As of November 25, 2023, the Supreme Court has delivered 36,068 judgments in English from the date of its first sitting. But proceedings before the district court are not conducted in English. All of these judgments are, true enough, available now for free on the e-SCR platform of the court, which was launched in January this year. This platform has been helpful not just for lawyers but also for law students who may not have the means to subscribe to commercially published law reports. This increased the accessibility of the court decision to the public. Today, we are launching the e-SCR in Hindi as 21,388 have been translated into Hindi, vetted, and uploaded on the e-SCR portal. E-SCR Hindi will allow users to search for judgments in Hindi. The rest of the judgments translated into Hindi are being vetted and shall be uploaded soon. Besides this, 9,276 judgments have been translated into other Indian languages, which include Punjabi, Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Odia, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, Assamese, Nepali, Urdu, Garo, Khasi, and Konkani. These judgments have also been uploaded on the e-SCR portal.”

“Technology,” he emphatically said, “Is not meant to distance us from our citizens but to take us into the lives of our citizens. We embrace our citizens as coequal partners in a shared, national endeavour.”

Next, he addressed concernsraised by President Droupadi Murmu last year over prison overcrowding and the unjust incarceration of marginalised individuals. Several efforts were being made to simplify legal processes so that citizens do not languish in jail unnecessarily, he asserted. He also introduced the 'FASTER' application version 2.0, which is set to be launched today. This application ensures that any judicial order for the release of a person is immediately transferred to the jail authority, to the district court, and to the high court via electronic means to ensure their timely release. Chief Justice Chandrachud added –

“Not only this but on the judicial side, the Supreme Court has been hearing cases relating to prisoners’ rights and overcrowding, among other things. I have also tasked the Centre for Research and Planning of the Supreme Court to come up with a project to improve the conditions of prisons and improve upon age-old and obsolete prison manuals.”

Chief Justice Chandrachud concluded by emphasising the goal of these initiatives to make citizens feel that the constitutional institution is working for them. He highlighted the significance of Dr. BR Ambedkar's statue unveiled at the Supreme Court premises, symbolizing the right to approach the court which Babasaheb Ambedkar had described as the “heart and soul of the Constitution”. The Chief Justice expressed hope that citizens, irrespective of class, caste, or creed, would repose trust in the court system as a fair and effective forum to enforce their rights –

“Individuals should not be afraid of going to court or view it as a last resort. Rather, it is our hope that by our efforts, citizens of all classes, castes, and creeds can repose trust in the court system and view it as a fair and effective forum to enforce their rights. Sometimes, we as a society may frown upon litigation as a disreputable entanglement, but just as the Constitution allows us to resolve our political differences through established democratic institutions and processes, our court system helps resolve our many disagreements through established principles and processes. In this way, every case and every court in the country is an extension of constitutional governance.”

Saying that the doors of the Supreme Court will always remain open for citizens, the chief justice added in Hindi, “Main, Samvidhan Divas ke mauke par, Bharat ke naagriko se yeh kehna chahta hu ki Sarvoch Nyayala ke darwaaze aapke liye hamesha khule rahe hai aur aage bhi khule rahenge. Aapko court aane se darne ki kabhi zarurat hi nahi hai. Nyayapalika ke prati aapki aastha hame prerit karti hai. Aapka vishwas hamara shradha sthaan hai. Namaste.”