CJI-designate Surya Kant urges HCs to function like emergency services

Chief Justice of India (Designate) Justice Surya Kant on Saturday emphasised that the judiciary's role goes beyond settling disputes and must also focus on protecting the innocent.

He asserted that the high courts must begin to envision their institutional growth much like a modern hospital's emergency services, ensuring swift, decisive and effective responses.

Addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of the Jharkhand High Court, which coincided with the state's foundation day, Justice Kant recalled his first case, an urgent plea for visitation rights in a cross-border custody dispute involving two minor children..

"...Justice is not only about resolving disputes, but about protecting the innocent from being lost in the storms of circumstance," the Supreme Court Judge said.

He noted that the parents were separated by national boundaries and years of litigation, but the most striking aspect was the quiet anguish of the children, caught between competing jurisdictions and uncertain futures.

He said that experience underscored how institutions must embody empathy and resolve.

Justice Kant said high courts must envision their development similar to emergency wards in hospitals, which specialise in responding swiftly.

"In the same way that an emergency ward cannot afford delay, our courts too must aspire to that level of preparedness, efficiency, and coordinated response," he said.

He called for strengthening technological capacity, streamlining procedures, building specialised expertise, and ensuring judicial processes adapt instantly to emerging situations.

"Only with such foresight can the judiciary continue to deliver timely and effective remedies, rising to every challenge with the speed and clarity that a constitutional democracy demands," he said.

These are not mere administrative ideas; they are the next step in the evolution of access to justice, he said.

Positioned between district courts and the Supreme Court, the high courts function as the "bridge between the citizen and the Constitution," he added.

Justice Kant highlighted the importance of adaptability in judicial institutions, arguing that their strength lies not only in landmark judgments but in their capacity to innovate.

He emphasised the growing need for technological integration - e-filing systems, real-time case tracking and accessible digital platforms - to ensure that justice remains within reach for all, especially those in remote areas or facing physical barriers.

He also warned that Indian courts must prepare for an era shaped by cybercrime, digital evidence, climate-related disputes, resource conflicts, and increasing caseloads.

These challenges, he said, demand a complete rethinking of traditional judicial models.