Urgent need of a single system of laws across world to conserve environment, says CJI Sharad Bobde

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Bobde on Sunday said that there is an urgent and great need of having a single system of laws across the world to conserve the environment.

"There is a great need for a single system of laws on the environment across the world. Human beings are seeds as well as parasites as far as the environment is concerned since they take much more than they give to the environment," said Justice Bobde while speaking at the International Judicial Conference 2020 here on Sunday.

"As we look into the future, one of the primary objectives is the conservation of the environment. In one of the landmark judgments of the Supreme Court, it ruled that the present generation does not have the right to encroach on the rights of the future generations as far as the environment is concerned," added Justice Bobde.

Justice Bobde further seconded the role of technology in addressing challenges being faced by the judiciary like pendency of cases.

"In India, we have ensured that no matter where a judicial officer is located, all courts are electronically connected to the National Judicial Data Grid. In many High Courts, about 19-20 per cent of the pendency is because of the Negotiable Instruments cases. Many cases are pending because summons has not been served," the CJI said.

"As we head into the future, we are thinking of employing artificial intelligence (AI) to automate simple tasks associated with the administration of justice. With a reading speed of one million characters per second, the volume of any data for any purpose, whether research or analysis, becomes easy to deal with. But it must be treated as a tool and its introduction in the judicial system should be done with caution. But probably the human mind is bound to retain its supremacy," he added.

Justice Bobde went on to say that the common thread that binds judges all across the world is a commitment to the dispensation of justice. The objective of increasing diversity in the judiciary in ensuring a gender-just world is paramount, he added.

He further said that an increasingly globalised world has also seen the globalisation of the judiciary.

"The globalisation of the bar has been accompanied by the globalisation of the bench. Increasingly, confronted with trans-national challenges judges regularly reach beyond their borders to inspect the jurisdiction of other countries to discern valuable principles. Recently, judgments and opinions of the Supreme Court were referenced by four judiciaries around the world. Judges never lose sight of the social reality of their own country," he said.

The CJI further said that the Indian judiciary has an ancient origin yet it has charted its own course in the modern world.

"The Indian judiciary has an ancient origin. It is uniquely connected by the yarn of history to the grand old tradition of the common law. Yet it has also charted its own course in the face of a geographically, linguistically and culturally diverse reality. India serves as a beacon of hope to the independent and developing countries," he said.

"The Indian Supreme Court protects the rights of over 1.3 billion people. We have approximately 17,500 courts. In a country where over 22 languages and several thousand dialects are spoken, the Supreme Court has mandated the translation of its judgments to nine languages," he added.

He further said that a commitment to access to justice furthers the commitment that constitutions are not meant only to check those in power but also to empower those who have been deprived of it.