PM hails country's judiciary for safeguarding people's rights

Prime Minister Narendra Modi onSaturday praised the country's judiciary, saying that it hasperformed its duty well in safeguarding people's rights andupholding personal freedom, and added that it has alsostrengthened the Constitution.

He said the Supreme Court in India has conducted thehighest number of hearings via video-conferencing from amongthe top courts of all the countries in the world during thecoronavirus pandemic.

Modi also said that in order to make the country'sjustice system future-ready, the possibility of usingArtificial Intelligence (AI) was being explored.

He was speaking after virtually releasing acommemorative postage stamp on the Gujarat High Court forsixty years of its establishment.

''Every countryman can say that our judiciary hasworked with firmness to uphold our Constitution. Our judiciaryhas strengthened the Constitution by its positiveinterpretation,'' Modi said.

''The Supreme Court has conducted the highest number ofhearings through video-conferencing in the world during thepandemic,'' he said.

Through constructive and creative interpretation ofthe Constitution, our judiciary has strengthened theConstitution itself, he added.

''Whether it is to safeguard the rights of citizens,question of personal freedom, or a situation wherein theinterest of the country is to be given top-most priority, thejudiciary has both understood and fulfilled itsresponsibilities,'' he said.

He said the root of good governance is in law, as hasbeen held in the ancient Indian scriptures, he said.

''This idea has been a part of our 'sanskar' sinceancient times. This mantra gave moral strength to our freedomstruggle, and the makers of our Constitution also gave it toppriority,'' he said.

This trust towards the judiciary has given confidenceto the common man, given him the strength to stand for truth,Modi said.

The prime minister said that ''the proud structure ofjustice stands on the pillar of Bar''.

''Since decades, bar and judiciary have together beenfulfilling the basic purpose of justice in our country,'' hesaid.

Modi also highlighted that the Gujarat High Courtbecame the first court in India to start live streaming ofproceedings during the pandemic.

''For us, it is a matter of satisfaction that thedigital infrastructure created by the justice department underits e-court integrated mission mode has in such a short spanof time helped our courts work in virtual mode,'' he said.

''Digital India mission is rapidly modernizing thejustice system. Today, more than 18,000 courts have beencomputerised in the country. With video-conferencing andtele-conferencing getting legal sanctity from the SupremeCourt, e-proceedings have gained pace across all courts.

''We feel proud to hear that our Supreme Court hasbecome the top among the apex courts in terms of conductinghearings through video conferencing,'' he said.

Facilities like e-filing of cases, unique ID and QRcodes to access case details, have given a new dimension toease of justice, he said.

Talking about the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG),Modi said that the system will help lawyers and litigants seecases and orders with a click of mouse.

''This ease of justice is not only improving the easeof living of our people, but has also helped in ease of doingbusiness. This has given confidence among foreigners thattheir judicial rights will be safe in India. In its 2018 easeof doing business report, the World Bank has also praised theNJDG,'' he said.

The PM said that a Supreme Court committee andNational Informatics Centre (NIC) are working together tofurther ease the justice system in India.

''To make our justice system future-ready, thepossibility of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also beingexplored,'' he said.

''With AI, the efficiency and speed of judiciary willincrease. In these efforts, the country's Atmanirbhar Bharatcampaign is going to play a big role. Under it, the videoconference platform is also being encouraged,'' he said.

Modi said that e-seva kendras are also being opened inthe high courts and district courts to bridge the digitaldivide.

He said e-Adalat has become ''timely and convenientmeans of justice''.

During the pandemic, online e-Lok Adalat has become anew normal, he said.

Modi further said the first Lok Adalat was held inJunagadh in Gujarat around four decades back and it was thefirst state to begin evening courts and took many initiativesfor the benefit of the poor.

Modi praised judiciary for presenting an excellentexample of its dedication and duty during the COVID-19pandemic period, by dispensing justice through videoconferencing, SMS callout, e-filing and e-mail my case statusservices, streaming on court's display boards, uploading oforders on the daily basis, and others.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Supreme Courtjudge Justice M R Shah, Gujarat HC Chief Justice Vikram Nath,state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and others attended theevent.