Indian Judiciary

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said here on Saturday that technology is the only effective answer to wastage of judiciary's time. He was speaking at a programme of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 'Fragmentation to fusion empowering justice via united digital platform integration' here. "We should think of deepening technology and AI-based judicial architecture," the CJI said. "Technology is the only effective answer to wastage of judiciary's time," he added. State Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was also present for the event.

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Many court buildings lack basic facilities such as clean (or any) toilets, drinking water, comfortable waiting areas, or digital information systems

Supreme Court to hear Rani Kapur's plea alleging attempts to alter control of family-linked firm despite ongoing mediation in Sunjay Kapur estate dispute

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday announced the launch of a major digital initiative aimed at strengthening judicial data integration and improving public access to court services across the country. Making the announcement at the outset of the day's proceedings, the CJI said the judiciary is commencing the "One Case One Data" initiative, which will integrate multi-level information from all the high courts, district courts and taluka courts into a unified system. "We are commencing the 'one case one data' initiative with multi-level information of all high courts, district and taluka court details embedded. We look forward to developing an efficient case management system," the CJI said. The initiative is expected to streamline case management by creating a more comprehensive and interconnected digital database across the country's courts. The CJI also announced the launch of "Su Sahay", an Artificial Intelligence-powered assistance chatbot integrated with the Supreme Co

Kejriwal's recusal plea against a Delhi HC judge highlighted gaps in India's uncodified framework governing judicial bias and impartiality

Taking note of the repeated strikes at the Gautam Buddha Nagar district court, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the committee of judges at the Allahabad High Court to take action against Bar Association officials on receipt of a report from the district judge. A bench consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued the order while hearing a case filed by Virendra Singh. The apex court noted with concern that the Gautam Buddha Nagar Bar Association has continued to pass resolutions for abstaining from work, despite a Supreme Court judgment in December 2024 explicitly restraining district bar associations from doing so. During the proceedings, CJI Kant said that the president of Gautam Buddha Nagar Bar Association has repeatedly ignored the court's direction. While the Allahabad High Court Chief Justice had already formed a three-member committee to look into the matter, the Supreme Court bench emphasised the need for swifter consequences. "We direct the

The Supreme Court has ruled that existing criminal laws are adequate to address hate speech, declining to issue fresh directions while leaving scope for legislative action

Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Saturday said the judiciary and its allied institutions enjoy deep public trust and it is their responsibility to preserve and strengthen this faith. Addressing a programme organised by the Association of Retired Judges (Rajasthan Chapter) here, he likened former judges to 'baoris' (stepwells), describing them as a reservoir of wisdom that can guide the system during challenging times. "Just as stepwells store water during the rains and serve people in times of scarcity, retired judges are a valuable resource for us. In situations of difficulty -- be it in Lok Adalats, arbitration or advisory roles -- we look up to these experienced judges for guidance on what is right and what is not," he said. Justice Surya Kant laid emphasis on the need for greater awareness and proactive functioning within the judiciary and related bodies, including the National Legal Services Authority and state legal services authorities. He said that former judges

Supreme Court emphasises restraint in religious matters, cautioning against diluting core practices while hearing constitutional questions arising from the Sabarimala case

Former Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma resigns amid controversy over alleged cash recovery at residence, following inquiry and threat of impeachment proceedings

The Supreme Court on Thursday took serious note of seven judicial officials engaged in SIR exercise being taken "hostage" in West Bengal's Malda district, terming it deplorable and seeking responses from the state home secretary, DGP and other officials for their "inaction". A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi permitted the Election Commission to seek either CBI or NIA probe into the unfortunate incident. It said the incident appears to be a "calculated" and "motivated move to demoralise judicial officers" and to stop the ongoing electoral process. Observing that the law and order machinery in the state has "broken down", the CJI came down hard on state officials for their delayed action in the issue. Seven judicial officials, including three women, were taken hostage by the anti-social elements at Malda district, the CJI said, adding that he himself had to monitor the situation till late night on Wednesday. The top court referred

Taking cognisance of a trial court relying on alleged non-existing verdicts that were generated with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), the Supreme Court has said a decision based on such fake judgments would not be an error in decision making but would amount to misconduct. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe has said it will examine the matter in detail and issued a notice to Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and the Bar Council of India. The court has also appointed senior advocate Shyam Divan to assist it in the matter. "We take cognisance of the trial court deploying AI-generated non-existing, fake or synthetic alleged judgments and seek to examine its consequences and accountability as it has a direct bearing on the integrity of the adjudicatory process," the bench said. "At the outset, we must declare that a decision based on such non-existent and fake alleged judgments is not an error in the decision making. It would be a

The All India Bar Association expressed serious concern that the inclusion of such a chapter was not merely an academic exercise but could have far-reaching consequences

The Supreme Court banned a Class 8 textbook over "objectionable" content on the judiciary. The chapter cites corruption, case backlogs and shortage of judges as challenges facing the judicial system

The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a blanket ban on class 8 NCERT book carrying a chapter on corruption in the judiciary, and ordered a seizure of all physical copies, along with takedown of its digital forms. The apex court ordered that the Centre and state authorities comply with its directions immediately, and warned of "serious action" if directions are defied in any form. The top court issued show cause notices to NCERT director, school education secretary to explain why action should be not taken against those responsible. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said there seemed to be a calculated move to undermine institution and demean dignity of judiciary. The bench said such misconduct, having everlasting impact on judiciary, would fall within definition of criminal contempt. "We would like to have a deeper probe," the bench said. The court said that if allowed to go unchecked, this will erode people's faith in judiciary. "No one will be allowed to go scot-free."

The development comes a day after NCERT halted the distribution of the textbook following controversy over the content of a chapter on the judiciary

The NCERT on Wednesday apologised for "inappropriate content" after facing the Supreme Court's ire over a chapter talking about judicial corruption in a Class 8 textbook and said the book concerned will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities. The council, responsible for school education curriculum, also put on hold the circulation of the textbook, hours after it took the book off its website. "It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter," a senior official said. The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) said it "holds the judiciary in highest esteem and considers it to be the upholder of the Indian Constitution and protector of fundamental rights" and termed the error as purely unintentional. "NCERT reiterates that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of ...

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Thursday a suo motu case over the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi will hear the case titled 'In Re: Social Science Textbook For Grade-8 (part-2) Published by NCERT and Ancillary Issues'. This assumes significance as the CJI on Wednesday strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in NCERT's Class 8 curriculum, saying that nobody on earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity. After facing the apex court's ire, the NCERT pulled the Class 8 textbook from its website with sources saying the government has not taken kindly to the inclusion of the controversial topic in the book. Earlier in the day, the top court took cognizance of the "objectionable" statements about judiciary in NCERT textbooks after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, alongside Abhishek Singhvi, mentioned the matter for urgent ...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the contents of Class 8 NCERT textbook referring to the corruption in the judiciary and termed it a matter of "grave concern." A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that "children of class 8 are taught about corruption in the judiciary. This is a matter of grave concern." The CJI said, "I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course." He added, "As head of the institution, I have done my duty and have taken cognisance This seems to be a calculated move. I won't say much." Justice Bagchi said the book seemed to be against the basic structure of the Constitution. The CJI said, "Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench all are perturbed. All high court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course." Later, Just