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Sending a “strong message” that the Supreme Court is meant for the common man, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has said a predictable timeline and a unified national judicial policy-based early decision of pending cases would be his priority.
CJI according to media reports made these remarks while he was speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit , the CJI referred to access to justice, and said his priority is to ensure how to reduce the cost of litigation, and how to prescribe a reasonable timeline within which matters are decided.
Asked about the independence of judiciary, Justice Kant referred to the constitutional philosophy of separation of powers, and said the Constitution has beautifully defined the respective roles of the judiciary, the legislature, and the executive, while ensuring that there is no overlapping.
“My first priority will be a predictable timeline and a unified national judicial policy-based early decision of the pending cases. I am not saying elimination of all the arrears. That will never happen. That should not happen because litigation is an ongoing process. People have trust and faith in the judicial system,” the CJI said.
“Cases will be filed but the old cases which are staring on our face need to be tackled and for that, one needs to explore mediation as one of the powerful game-changers,” he said.
There will be some reforms in the Supreme Court in the coming days, including on prioritisation of certain litigations, he said.
“I just want to send a very clear and strong message that the Supreme Court is also meant for the common man, and any ordinary litigant will also have sufficient space and time in the Supreme Court. And for that, I am doing some prioritisation of the matters to be listed,” he said.
Justice Kant also said he cannot do this alone and the judges of the apex court have extended their full cooperation in this regard.
Stating that the judicial system will face new challenges, the CJI cited cases of digital arrest and cybercrimes.
“So, new challenges will continue to come. First, we need to update our judiciary,” he said, adding, “We must update our judicial officers with newer challenges and how to deal with those issues”.
