CJI Acknowledges Judiciary's Challenge in Preserving Public Faith

Chief Justice Surya Kant Tuesday acknowledged that the judiciary faced the challenge of preserving the public's faith in it and said the panacea lay in the judges' knowledge, integrity and commitment to expeditious and fair justice delivery.

Initiating a dialogue between the Indian Supreme Court and the SC of Russian Federation in Moscow, the CJI said despite varied history and tradition, the emerging common challenge to judiciary was "how to preserve public confidence in the administration of justice while adapting to a rapidly changing world".

He said despite the rapid advancement of technology and its use in judiciary, the fundamental purpose of courts was primarily to uphold justice in a manner that commanded public trust.

"While technology may expand the reach of courts, it is ultimately the learning, integrity and commitment of judges who serve within them that determine the quality of justice delivered," CJI Kant said.

Speaking in the presence of chairman of the Supreme Court of Russian Federation Igor Krasnov, the CJI noted that technology may aid justice delivery but could never replace judicial values and adjudications.

He said technology had become a means in India to make courts accessible, efficient, user-friendly, transparent and responsive to people's grievances through electronic filing, digital case management, digitisation of court records, online access to court records, virtual hearings and video conferencing facilities.

He said artificial intelligence was also playing its part in judicial administration and legal research as well as translating judgments in 16 regional languages.

However, he ruled out any role for AI in the core function of judiciary - adjudication of disputes.

"Administration of justice is, and must remain, fundamentally a human endeavour. AI may assist judges by organising information, facilitating translations, generating transcripts, and streamlining administrative processes," CJI Kant said.