Interpretation of the Constitution is a work in progress, and it will be up to the youth of India to carry forward the task of realising its ideals, President Ram Nath Kovind said at an event to mark the Constitution Day on Tuesday. Kovind said authors of the Constitution took extra care in providing the Supreme Court necessary powers and freedom to function without any undue influence, and "over these eventful seven decades, the judiciary has remained alive to the high responsibility placed on it". Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said right to faith is also a fundamental right. Indicating the Ayodhya judgment, he said it has noted the assimilating traditions of India. Without making any mention of Ayodhya, Prasad said, "In the light of a recent judgment, I see a lot of enlightened opinion coming on the issue of faith. Let us all that recognise right to faith is also a fundamental right under Article 25 and other Articles. I think if there is a competing claim over a particular piece of land depending on the importance of a particular religion, the Supreme Court as the highest court.based upon elaborate evidence to come to a conclusion. But one particular aspect of that judgment is required to be highlighted where the court has particularly noted the assimilating traditions of India, which has impacted all religions over the years.” He said no religion is an exception to that. “That assimilating, integrating tradition of India is what is truly the heritage of India, and the Constitution-makers have always recognised that.” Prasad said that in the original version of the Constitution, which was animated with India's heritage, "there is Akbar, but not Babar, (and) we need to recall that”. Speaking at the event, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde said, "The Constituent Assembly members knew they were shaping lives, livelihoods and the culture of every single citizen of India. It is therefore important for us to remember that this document is not a legal framework to conduct the affairs of our nation but indeed a ‘framework of life' for all citizens.. The Constitution does not belong to individuals in black robes – that is, lawyers or judges, or individuals who have been duly elected, or even the government – but belongs to each and every individual of this country.” Delivering the welcome address, Justice N V Ramana said, "People must recognise that the Constitution not just provides rights but also sets out Constitutional duties. Strengthening the Constitution requires improving the functioning and maintenance of the constitutional institutions. It also needs us to leave behind the colonial mindset with respect to how institutions are run in the country.” He added that the event was "an occasion to reemphasise our commitment to the Constitution.". Touching upon the issue of pendency of cases, CJI Bobde said the rule of law is dependent on not just the settling of disputes but also settlement of disputes in an efficient and speedy manner. He said, "While we will continue to add more judges to deal with both the backlog of cases and flow of new cases to our courts, we need something that is transformational to the cause of delivering timely justice to India's citizens. We do not have the luxury of dealing with the backlog of cases in isolation from the flow of new cases to our courts -- the demands of justice mean that we will have to deal with both. Together". Stressing on the theme of employing artificial intelligence in the administration of justice, CJI Bobde said use of technology will free up more time for lawyers and judges to focus on the delivery and dispensation of justice. The event saw the launch of the Supreme Court's official mobile application as well as a software -- SUVAS (Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software) - which employs artificial intelligence to translate English judgments of the court in nine regional languages to start with. Noting that the problems of lack of access to justice was not just the cost factor but also the language, the President lauded the SC for making its judgments available in nine regional languages. On the software, the CJI said, "While translating judgments is useful, it pales in comparison to the value added to countless litigants and lawyers whose access to timely justice will no longer be limited by the restraints of language. We will continue to use human translators to validate and correct output of the artificial intelligence-based translation tools.”
