CJI Surya Kant's plan to reduce pending cases in courts
What's the story
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has outlined his primary goal of reducing the backlog of pending cases in the judiciary. Speaking at the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, he emphasized using mediation and litigation as key tools to achieve this. "My first priority (as CJI) will be for the predictable timeline and the national judicial policy based on early resolution of pending cases," he said.
Mediation mission
CJI Kant's mediation mission and litigation prioritization
CJI Kant has launched a "mediation mission" in the last six months, hoping to popularize mediation with the help of his fellow judges. He also stressed prioritizing litigation, saying, "We want to make it clear that the Supreme Court is also meant for the common man." "For this, we plan to introduce training programmes through the judicial academy platforms and high court platforms," he added.
Training programs
CJI Kant's plans for judicial officer training
To improve timelines and predictability, CJI Kant plans to introduce training programs through judicial and high court platforms. He emphasized the need for regular training programs to update judicial officers on new challenges such as digital arrest and cybercrime. "No one thought that there will be cases of digital arrest," he said, stressing the importance of adapting to these modern challenges.
Cybersecurity concerns
CJI Kant's views on cybercrime and digital arrests
CJI Kant also spoke about the complexities of cybercrime, where victims may be in one country and perpetrators in another. He stressed that understanding how such crimes are committed is crucial for the judiciary to tackle them effectively. "Until we figure out and understand how a crime like this is carried out, the judiciary will not be able to tackle such cases," he said.
Legal journey
CJI Kant's legal career and leadership role
CJI Kant was born in 1962 and started his legal career at the Hisar courts. At 38, he became Haryana's youngest Advocate General before being appointed to the Bench in 2004. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2019 and has since delivered landmark judgments across constitutional, criminal, and administrative law. CJI Kant took oath on November 23 as India's 53rd Chief Justice.