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

On the occasion of India’s 75th Constitution Day, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Sunday (November 26) assured that the doors of the Supreme Court are and will always remain open for citizens to ventilate their grievances. He also insisted that individuals should not be afraid of going to court or view it as a last resort, expressing the hope that owing to the efforts to make the judicial infrastructure more 'citizen-centric', citizens of all classes, castes, and creeds can repose their trust in the court system and view it as a "fair and effective forum to enforce their rights". 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 75th 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...

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

Awstika Das

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