Page 8 - Cji

Tech-friendly systems must be complemented by judges' mindset change: CJI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday said technology-friendly legal systems must be complemented by a change in mindset of each judge, member of the bar, registry official and administrative staff. Technology is a source of inclusion and any resistance to it often stems from "inner inertia to disturb the status quo and fear of the unknown", he said. CJI Chandrachud was speaking at an event here to celebrate the platinum jubilee of the Rajasthan High Court. He also inaugurated the paperless court and Telegram channel of the High Court. "Our move towards a technology-friendly legal system must be complemented by a change in the mindset of every judge, every member of the bar, registry official and administrative staff," the chief justice said. Citing conditions set by some high courts for litigants to get access to a digital link for video conferencing, he said, "Technology is only for the old and not for the young... these mindsets have to change. In our revolution to

Rise in number of women judges nation-wide trend: CJI Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Friday referred to the significant increase in the number of women judicial officers and said it was a countrywide trend. At the outset of the proceedings, the CJI said, "We wish to share some happy news. Here in the back row (in the courtroom), we have 75 judges from the civil judge junior division from Maharashtra. Out of a batch of 75 judges, 42 are women and 33 men." "This is a trend happening across the country. There are more women judges in numbers," the CJI, who was sitting on a bench with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said. Justice Chandrachud said he would meet the judicial officers, including the women judges, during the lunch hour. Some lawyers, including senior advocate Dushyant Dave, asked the CJI to take steps to raise the number of women judges in the apex court. "The appointments made today are a reflection of the bar 15 years ago," the CJI said. Recently, former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) presid

SC appoints sign-language interpreter to help hearing-impaired persons

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Friday announced the appointment of a sign-language interpreter by the Supreme Court to help hearing-impaired lawyers and litigants to comprehend judicial proceedings. "Today, we have an interpreter whom the Supreme Court has appointed," the CJI said at the outset of the proceedings. "This is a historic moment," a lawyer said. The CJI said he wanted to have a sign-language interpreter for the Constitution bench hearings. On September 22, a bench headed by the CJI heard hearing-impaired lawyer Sarah Sunny through sign-language interpreter Saurav Roy Chowdhury in a case related to the rights of persons with disability (PwD). Lawyers and bar bodies had lauded the fact that the Supreme Court allowed a hearing-impaired lawyer to argue a case through a sign-language interpreter. CJI Chandrachud, who is sensitive towards providing accessibility to justice delivery systems to the differently-abled, also constituted a Supreme Court committee

16 media bodies write to CJI on 'repressive use' of investigating agencies

The associations said that as journalists and news professionals, we are always ready and willing to cooperate with any bona fide investigation

Legal profession will thrive depending on how we maintain integrity: CJI

Our profession will continue to thrive or it will self-destruct based on whether we do or do not maintain our integrity, Chief Justice of India Dhananjay Chandrachud said here on Sunday. Integrity is the core of the legal profession, the CJI asserted. Integrity is not eroded by one thunderstorm, it gets eroded by small, little concessions and compromises made by lawyers and judges, the CJI said while speaking at the an event on the theme 'Enhancing collaboration between Advocates & Judges: Towards strengthening legal system'. "Our profession will continue to thrive or it will self-destruct based on whether we do or do not maintain our integrity. Integrity is eroded not by one thunderstorm, it erodes by small little concessions and compromises which are made by lawyers and judges," he said. "We all sleep with our conscience. You can fool the whole world but can't fool your conscience. It keeps on asking questions every night. Integrity is the core of the legal profession. With ...

Supreme Court joins National Judicial Data Grid: Here's how it works

National Judicial Data Grid is a national portal that holds real-time information and data on all cases, pending and disposed, by courts across the country

SC's real-time data now available on National Judicial Data Grid: CJI

The CJI said the step was taken to bring in transparency and accountability and the platform will aid in tracking of pendency of cases

Indian institutions made culture of resolving issues via dialogue: CJI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chanrachud on Saturday said Indian institutions have developed a culture of resolving problems through dialogue, tolerance and shared values, unlike many other nations where resolution takes place through arms and weapons. After inaugurating the new building of the Aizawl bench of Gauhati High Court here, the CJI said that the rule of law sustains the nation and judges, lawyers and litigants. "There are so many countries in the world where the resolution of problems takes place through arms and weapons. But the importance of our institution is that we have replaced a culture of violence with a culture of dialogue, a culture of tolerance, a culture of understanding and the realisation that we share the shared values for bringing about human happiness," he said. The CJI said that the important message that the court of justice sends across society is that "We stand for the rule of law, we stand for the peaceful resolution of disputes." CJI Chandrachud said

By enacting Article 35(A), you virtually took away fundamental rights: CJI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Monday observed that by enacting Article 35A, fundamental rights of equality, liberty to practice profession in any part of the country and others were virtually taken away. He made the remarks after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, referred to the contentious provision in the Indian Constitution, saying it gave special rights to only permanent residents of the erstwhile state and was discriminatory. Without naming the two mainstream political parties of the erstwhile state, the Centre told a five-judge bench headed by CJI Chandrachud that citizens have been misguided that the special provisions for Jammu and Kashmir were "not discrimination but a privilege". "Even today two political parties are before this court defending Article 370 and 35A," the solicitor general told the top court on the 11th day of hearing the litany of pleas challenging the abrogation of the constitutional provision which bestowed special stat

CJI Chandrachud declares Sep 8 as holiday in SC in view of G20 Summit

The Supreme Court will remain closed on September 8 with Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Friday declaring it as a holiday in view of the G20 Summit in the national capital, a notification issued by the apex court said. The G20 Summit will be held in Delhi on September 9 and 10. A notification issued on the apex court website said the CJI has declared September 8 as a holiday for the top court considering the office memorandum of August 24 issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. According to an order issued by the Personnel Ministry on Thursday, all central government offices in the national capital will be closed from September 8 to 10 in view of the G20 summit. "Invoking the provision of sub-rule (3) of Rule 4 of Order II of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, the Chief Justice of India has declared September 8, 2023 as holiday for the Supreme Court of India and its registry and September 9, 2023 as holiday for the registry of the Supreme Court ...

Govt moves Bill dropping CJI from EC selection process; Opposition protests

Proposes Cabinet minister in the panel

Centre moves bill to drop CJI from poll officers' selection process

The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, has been listed for introduction in the Rajya Sabha

Bill proposes cabinet minister, not CJI in selection panel to appoint CEC

Future chief election commissioners and election commissioners will be selected by a three-member panel headed by the prime minister and comprising the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Cabinet minister, according to a bill listed for introduction in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. This is in contrast to a Supreme Court judgment of March which said the panel should comprise of the prime minister, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. Opposition leaders, including from the Congress, immediately seized the opportunity and accused the government of diluting a Constitution bench order. A vacancy will arise in the Election Commission (EC) early next year when Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey demits office on February 14 on attaining the age of 65 years. His retirement will come just days before the likely announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls' schedule by the EC. On the past two occasions, the commission had announced parliamentary

Plea on free sanitary pads for class 6-12 girls to be heard by SC on Monday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking directions to states and the Centre to provide free sanitary pads to class 6-12 girls and ensure separate female toilet facility in all government-aided and residential schools. The plea by social worker Jaya Thakur is scheduled to be heard by a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The top court had earlier asked the Centre to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure and a national model to be adopted by all states and Union Territories for managing menstrual hygiene for girls studying in schools. On April 10, the top court had said the issue was of "immense importance" and that the Centre should engage with all the stakeholders for implementation of a uniform national policy on management of menstrual hygiene in schools, including government and aided schools. It had appointed the secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) as the nodal officer to coordinat

Judges must not use protocol facilities in way that leads to criticism: CJI

Protocol facilities made available to judges should not be used in a manner which causes inconvenience to others or brings public criticism to the judiciary, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud has said in a letter to the chief justices of all the high courts. The CJI in his letter expressed displeasure over a recent incident in which a judge of the Allahabad High Court sought explanation from railway authorities for "not meeting his requirements" during a train journey. "A Judge of the High Court does not possess disciplinary jurisdiction over railway personnel. Hence, there was no occasion for an officer of the High Court to call for an explanation from the railway personnel 'to be placed before His Lordship for kind perusal'. "Evidently, the officer of the High Court in the above communication was carrying out a direction of the Judge of the High Court in this instance ('the Hon'ble Judge has desired')," the CJI said in the letter dated July 19. In his letter, Chandrachud said ...

2 arrested after nationwide outrage over women paraded naked in Manipur

The grinding violence that has roiled Manipur for more than two months burst onto the national centrestage on Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CJI D Y Chandrachud expressed deep anguish over a graphic video of two disrobed women being brutalised by a mob, calling the incident "shameful" and "unacceptable". The incident in a village in Kangpokpi district that was captured in the 26-second video and stoked a nationwide outrage took place a day after ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3 but the horrific footage surfaced only on Wednesday and became viral after the internet ban was lifted. Hours after Prime Minister Modi in his first public comments on the Manipur violence vowed that no guilty will be spared and law will act with its "full might and firmness", Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the police have arrested two men. CJI Chandrachud also warned that the apex court will take action if nothing is happening on the ground. Taking suo motu

3-judge Bench to hear pleas relating to criminalisation of marital rape: SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that a three-judge bench will hear a batch of petitions pertaining to criminalisation of marital rape after constitution benches conclude hearing some listed pleas. We have to resolve the matters concerning marital rape, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra said when senior advocate Indira Jaising mentioned the matter for hearing. My case deals with the child sexual abuse case, the senior lawyer said. The CJI said these matters are to be heard by a three-judge bench and these will be listed up for hearing after the five-judge constitution benches conclude hearing some of the listed cases. Presently, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by the CJI is hearing pleas relating to regimes on grant of driving license for different kind of vehicles under the Motor Vehicle Act. The petitions relating to abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which had provided special status to erstwhile Ja

SC reserves verdict on 'rules of game' for appointment in judiciary posts

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on whether "the rules of the game" for appointment to various posts in the judiciary can be changed mid-way through the selection process. A five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hrishikesh Roy, P S Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal and Manoj Misra reserved the judgement after hearing the arguments advanced by the lawyers appearing for the parties. The top court had on November 24 last year agreed to form a constitution bench for examining the larger issue raised in a number of petitions about whether "the rules of the game" for appointment to various posts in the judiciary can be modified in the middle of the selection process. While hearing the matter on July 12, the apex court had termed as "manifestly arbitrary" the changes made by the Kerala High Court in the criteria for selection of additional district judges (ADJs) in the state in 2017. The constitution bench, however, had refused to ...

Why didn't you study? CJI asks student as SC junks PIL on male pronouns

From condemning "abuse of process" to examining the Centre's ordinance for Delhi, here's what Supreme Court dealt with today

PDP chief Mehbooba requests CJI for early hearing on Article 370 in SC

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday requested Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud for an early hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. CJI Chandrachud is currently on a tour of Jammu and Kashmir and delivered the inaugural address on the second day 19th All India Legal Services Authorities meeting in Srinagar on Friday, besides attending the foundation laying function of the new high court complex in Jammu a day earlier. We welcome CJI to Jammu and Kashmir and want to remind him of Article 370 and the commitment of the people of the country to maintain the special status (of J&K under the constitutional provision) when the Muslim majority region joined hands with India without any compulsion," Mehbooba told reporters here. The PDP leader requested the CJI to ensure an early hearing of the petitions on Article 370. We want to invite the attention of the CJI to the petitions which are pending in the Supreme ...