Faith in judiciary will erode if tech takes driver’s seat: CJI Gavai

New Delhi, June 5

Advertisement

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has warned against giving primacy to technology in the justice delivery system, saying it would erode public faith in judiciary and beseeched courts not to lose sight of humanity.

On June 4, the CJI was delivering a keynote address on the theme “Courts, Commerce & the Rule of Law” at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London.

In his address, the CJI outlined the role of the judiciary in balancing commerce and the concept of the “rule of law” in the digital age and said courts required to actively engage in the process with commercial pragmatism.

He quoted former CJI DY Chandrachud as saying, “Technology should be a means of ensuring justice to everyone. The moment we let technology take the driver’s seat in the legal system, we begin to erode the public’s faith in us and with it, the foundations of the rule of law.”

CJI Gavai continued, “Yet in this rush toward technological integration, we must not lose sight of our humanity. The rule of law exists not as an abstract concept but as a living promise to real people facing real problems. Each case that comes before our courts represents someone’s hope for justice, and someone’s faith that the system will work fairly and equitably.” He said when people stand at the crossroads between tradition and innovation, the courts as sentinels of the rule of law are both guardians of ancient wisdom and architects of future justice.

He urged courts worldwide to uphold the rule of law amidst evolving commercial and technological landscapes. “In the realm of global commerce, we have the power to ensure that freedom, guided by justice, sustains the integrity of efficient and dependable commercial dispute resolution systems for generations to come. The rule of law in the digital age requires not just our attention but our active and thoughtful engagement guided by commercial pragmatism,” the CJI said.