It’s Important To Highlight Work Done In Indian Judiciary’s Back Offices: CJI

Very little is known about the work carried out in the Indian judiciary’s back offices, according to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who emphasised that it is crucial that this be recognised.

He was giving the opening speech at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) for the 19th Legal Services authority Meet.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) said, “Judiciary has been a poor communicator simply because we feel that we don’t need marketing.”

The work carried out in the Indian court’s back offices, he said, “is also known by the delays in the judicial process, and it is crucial we spotlight the work which is carried out in the back offices of the Indian judiciary as well because that is the spine of our judiciary.

A judiciary is judged by the judgements it renders, or sometimes by the ones it does not render, according to CJI Chandrachud.

He also discussed the extensive work being done in the courts’ back offices.

According to him, the website, which serves as the main hub for e-court services, saw 2.54 billion transactions in 2020, 3.20 billion in 2021, 3.26 billion in 2022, and more than 1.3 billion up to June 27 of this year.

Since the website’s launch in March 2013, there have been 13.9 billion transactions via the e-court services. As part of our e-court services, 63.8 million text messages—or 3.60 lakh per day—were issued to residents only this year. This year, our app has been downloaded more than 15 million times. Up until June 27, 61.3 million emails have been sent to plaintiffs across India using our automated e-mailing services, according to the CJI.

He remarked that these numbers represent the job that the Indian court is doing behind the scenes. “When individuals discuss delays in the legal system. For the country to comprehend the sort of work being done and the seriousness with which ordinary folks’ concerns are responded to, I believe it is necessary that we advertise ourselves.

He said that so far this year, the National Lok Adalat had resolved 3.6 crore cases. The CJI said that “the ADR mechanisms play a significant role in access to justice.”

“I must emphasise the need for us to re-engineer our rules,” CJI Chandrachud stated to the several high court chief judges. When summonses were delivered on camels and horses, our regulations were created.

“Those laws don’t apply to the times we live in now. To make our laws more current for today, he argued, we must re-engineer them as civil and criminal guides.

The CJI said that there were other causes for disbelief in the nation’s justice system. The lengthy and difficult legal procedure is one of the causes of mistrust. According to him, the legal services authorities should promote the use of alternative conflict settlement procedures.

He said that through providing legal assistance and other services, the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987 aimed to humanise the law and advance social justice.

It made our laws simpler. It institutionalises the Lok Adalats and orders the police, prisons, and courts to be more attentive to the concerns of the underprivileged and disadvantaged, the man said.

“We are a special nation. In India, where there are 1.4 billion people, free legal assistance is available to 80% of the population. These are imposing numbers. However, a very small portion of the population actually uses the legal help. Less than 8% of convicts awaiting trial in 2022 used legal help, according to a survey,” he stated.

According to the CJI, there are three main reasons why legal aid services are underutilised. He cited a lack of knowledge regarding legal assistance, challenges in receiving legal help and services, and a lack of trust in governmental legal aid programmes.

In order to increase the trust of women and transgenders in these institutions, he also suggested that more women and transgender people volunteer as attorneys and paralegals in legal aid programmes.