District judiciary is ‘backbone of the judiciary’, says CJI DY Chandrachud
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 31
Terming the district judiciary the “backbone of the judiciary”, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday said as a crucial component of the rule of law, district court judges have the ability to transform the present and future of our society.
“The district judiciary is the first point of contact for a citizen in search of justice. The district judiciary is a crucial component of the rule of law. The arc of pending cases is defined by a triangle or a pyramid, large at the base and tapering as we move upwards. Data reveals a basic truth - the district judiciary is not just the first but is also the final point of contact for citizens,” the CJI said.
Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day ‘National Conference of the District Judiciary’, the CJI said it was necessary to stop calling district judiciary subordinate.
“The district judiciary is therefore called upon to shoulder tremendous responsibility and is aptly described as the ‘backbone of the judiciary’. The spine is the core of the nervous system. To sustain the spine of the legal system, we must stop calling the district judiciary as the subordinate judiciary. Seventy-five years after Independence, the time has come for us to bury one more relic of the British era – the colonial mindset of subordination,” Justice Chaandrachud said.
“Every judge has the ability to transform not only the lives of lawyers who appear in court, but the present and future of our society,” he said.
The CJI sought to highlight the changing demography of the judiciary. “An increasing number of women have been joining the district judiciary in the past few years. Women consisted of 58% of the total recruitment for Civil Judges in Rajasthan in 2023. 66% of the judicial officers appointed in Delhi in 2023 were women. In Uttar Pradesh, 54% of the appointments for Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the batch of 2022 were women. In Kerala, 72% of the total number of judicial officers are women in the latest recruitment,” he said at the conference which will also deliberate on gender dynamics in the judiciary and the need to ensure an inclusive workplace.
The CJI asked the judges to keep up with evolving times by updating themselves with new law and changing societal conditions. “Society changes with the passage of time and while judges are required to be islands, standing apart from others in society, they must still be aware of the world around them. This is indispensable in ensuring that justice is delivered in each case,” he said.
Noting that over 3,500 court complexes and more than 22,000 court Rooms have been computerised under the e-Courts Project, Justice Chandrachud lauded the district judiciary for playing a crucial role in deploying technology in day-to-day affairs.
“The district courts in the country have heard 2.3 crore cases through video conferencing. The judgments of the Supreme Court are being translated in every language recognized by the Constitution. 73,000 translated judgments are in the public realm,” he said.
Urging the judges to focus on skill upgradation, the CJI said, “Our education is not complete with the completion of our degrees. While our formal education may end there, our practical learning extends beyond our days at university. Each case has the potential to make us more sensitive to the human condition and the human story behind the case. This, in turn, enables us to practice judging with empathy and compassion.”
He expressed hope that “The conference will facilitate a dialogue between and understand the concerns of judges of the district courts and enable us to chart out collective vision for the future of the Indian legal system.”
