Chief Justice of India Surya Kant backed a Unified Judicial Policy, stressing that technology has moved beyond administrative convenience. Calling it a “constitutional instrument”, he said technology can ensure equality, access to justice, and transform courts into one ecosystem.
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JAISALMER: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant advocated the adoption of a Unified Judicial Policy, asserting that technology has evolved from a tool of administrative convenience into a “constitutional instrument” essential for ensuring equality, predictability, and access to justice across India.
Delivering the address at the West Zone–I Regional Conference in Jaisalmer, themed “Advancing Rule of Law through Technology: Challenges and Opportunities,” the CJI proposed the creation of a national judicial ecosystem that transcends regional barriers while respecting India’s federal judicial structure.
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Justice Kant noted that India’s federal framework has led High Courts to develop distinct practices, administrative priorities, and technological capacities. While natural in a federal democracy, he said this diversity has resulted in uneven judicial experiences for litigants.
“Technology enables us to think of justice not as regional systems operating in parallel, but as one national ecosystem with shared standards, seamless interfaces, and coordinated goals,”
the CJI said.
He emphasised that digital integration can help align standards and practices across courts, offering citizens a consistent and predictable justice delivery system regardless of their location.
Highlighting that predictability is central to public trust, Justice Kant said citizens must be assured that laws are applied consistently and rights are protected uniformly.
“A core expectation citizens place upon the courts is predictability,”
He observed, adding that technology can make judicial performance transparent, visible, and measurable through data-driven dashboards and real-time monitoring.
Digital tools, he explained, can identify systemic delays, such as in bail matters or specific dispute categories and enable targeted reforms.
The Chief Justice underlined the importance of prioritising cases where delay causes irreparable harm, particularly those involving life, liberty, and livelihood.
He referred to his recent administrative direction ensuring that urgent matters like bail petitions and habeas corpus cases are listed within two days after curing defects.
“Where delay causes deep harm, the system must respond with urgency. Technology enables that prioritisation,”
he said.
Justice Kant also stressed the need for clarity and uniformity in judicial writing, noting that many litigants struggle to understand court orders despite winning their cases.
“I have come across litigants who were unsure of the relief they had secured because the language was too technical or vague,”
He said.
He argued that a unified judicial approach must also extend to how courts communicate outcomes, ensuring judgments are accessible and understandable to the common citizen.
The CJI highlighted the growing role of AI-based research assistants, digital case management systems, and judicial data platforms in improving consistency and efficiency.
Emerging technologies, he said, can:
- Identify missing precedents
- Cluster similar legal questions
- Detect conflicting judgments
- Simplify factual narration
- Translate judgments instantly
He pointed to platforms like the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) and e-Courts as key drivers of standardisation and transparency.
Concluding his address, Justice Kant emphasised that technology is only a medium, while constitutional values must remain the guiding force of judicial reform.
“The measure of innovation is not the complexity of the software we deploy, but the simplicity with which a citizen understands the outcome of their case and believes that justice has been served,”
the Chief Justice said.
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