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Courts of the future can’t remain confined within buildings: CJI Surya Kant
He observed that law settles over time; he said, “the ink used in a judgment does not dry when the decision is delivered…what appears today as a settled principle often finds its fullest meaning only years later, when applied to circumstances not yet imagined. In that sense, the law is always in dialogue with time.”
CJI Justice Surya Kant during 4th Ashok Desai Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on Monday. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)
The Indian Judiciary of 2076 must be one where justice reaches citizens rather than one where citizens must travel to seek it, CJI Justice Surya Kant said Monday, delivering the 4th Ashok Desai Memorial Lecture at the India International Centre in New Delhi.
Speaking on the theme “Reimagining Justice: The Indian Judiciary 50 Years Hence”, he said courts of the future cannot remain confined within physical buildings. “Justice is not something one must travel to seek but something that reaches the individual efficiently, equitably, and with a sensitivity to the realities of a changing society,” he said.
He observed that law settles over time; he said, “the ink used in a judgment does not dry when the decision is delivered…what appears today as a settled principle often finds its fullest meaning only years later, when applied to circumstances not yet imagined. In that sense, the law is always in dialogue with time.”
He said the scope of criminal law may widen beyond its current boundaries. Conduct that does not fit within traditional definitions of offence could come within its reach, he said, and civil process may be reimagined around speed and accessibility.
He traced the pace of change in the judiciary over the last 5 decades noting that technology had not only reshaped access to information but the way individuals engage with it. He pointed to public interest litigation as an example of how the judiciary had previously expanded its reach. On AI, he said tools already in use within the judicial system would evolve considerably but within limits.
“AI will surely not replace judicial reasoning, but its role will become enormous,” he said, describing its function as processing large volumes of material and identifying precedents so judges could focus on interpretation and the human consequences of decisions.
He cautioned that efficiency must not come at the cost of the human element. He said that “the balance between efficiency and due process will need careful calibration,” cautioning that “empathy discretion and the ability to understand context must remain at the core of adjudication.” The lecture also featured author and historian Manu S. Pillai, who spoke on “Resisting Injustice: The Raj, the Law, and the Making of Modern India.”
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