Diamond Jubilee of Supreme Court: Laws framed today will strengthen India of tomorrow, says PM Modi

Satya Prakash

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New Delhi, January 28

Noting that laws being laid down on Sunday will strengthen the bright future of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the government was actively working on modernising laws to align them with the present situation and best practices.

Inaugurating the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Supreme Courthere, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the government’s initiatives in abolishing outdated colonial criminal laws and introducing new legislation such as the Bhartiya Nyaya Samhita, Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Samhita and Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act.

“Through these changes, our legal, policing, and investigative systems have entered a new era,” he said.

“The transition from old laws to new ones should be seamless,” he said, adding the training and capacity-building initiatives for government officials to facilitate the transition has commenced. He urged the Supreme Court to engage in capacity-building for all stakeholders.

The Supreme Court held its inaugural sitting on January 28, 1950, 75 years ago.

Acknowledging the significant role the Supreme Court will play in shaping the country’s future over the next 25 years, PM congratulated the institution on its 75th anniversary.

He said Rs 7000 crore was disbursed after 2014 for the physical infrastructure of courts in the country and Rs 800 crore was approved last week for the expansion of the Supreme Court Building Complex.

The makers of the Indian constitution saw the dream of a free India based on freedom, equality and justice and the Supreme Court has continuously tried to preserve these principles, he said. “Whether it is freedom of expression, personal freedom or social justice, the Supreme Court has strengthened India’s vibrant democracy,” Modi said, adding its milestone judgments on individual rights and freedom of speech have given a new direction to the nation’s socio-political environment.

Underscoring the essence of Indian values and modernity in our legal framework, PM emphasized the need for our laws to reflect both Indian ethos and contemporary practices.

“The convergence of Indian values and modernity is equally essential in our legal statutes… The government is actively working on modernizing laws to align with the present situation and best practices,” he said.

Describing the crucial role played by a robust justice system as the “cornerstone of Viksit Bharat”, he highlighted the government’s continuous efforts to create a reliable legal framework.

Citing the enactment of the Jan Vishwas Bill as a step in the right direction, PM also talked about reducing the number of pending cases by using alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Modi also launched citizen-centric information and technology initiatives that include Digital Supreme Court Reports (Digi SCR), Digital Courts 2.0 and a new website of the Supreme Court.

Noting that “Ease of justice is the right of every Indian citizen and the Supreme Court of India, its medium,” he complimented the CJI for his efforts to improve ease of justice.

To ensure last-mile justice delivery, the PM noted the recent decision on phase-III of the e-courts project to improve digital infrastructure of subordinate courts.

CJI DY Chandrachud, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Supreme Court judges—Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice BR Gavai, Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and Supreme Court Bar Association president Adish C Aggarwal were present on the occasion.