In a landmark move to enhance judicial accessibility and efficiency, the Supreme Court of India, under the leadership of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, launched two significant initiatives during the Constitution Day celebrations. President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated these initiatives, marking a new era in the Indian legal system.
The first initiative is a groundbreaking portal designed to streamline the process of releasing prisoners. This system is specifically developed to ensure that judicial orders for the release of inmates are communicated swiftly and effectively to jail authorities. Chief Justice Chandrachud emphasized the importance of this portal, stating,
“I assure that prisoners languishing in jail aspect will be looked into. We are launching a portal where judicial orders of release of a person is transferred to jails, trial courts, and high courts for immediate compliance.”
This initiative aims to address the delays in the release of prisoners due to administrative lags, thereby upholding the rights and dignity of those incarcerated.
The second major initiative is the launch of the e-SCR portal in Hindi, a significant step towards linguistic inclusivity in the legal domain. This portal features Hindi translations of 21,388 judgments out of the total 36,068 judgments delivered by the Supreme Court since January 26, 1950. Chief Justice Chandrachud highlighted the scope of this initiative, saying,
“Today, we are launching e-SCR portal in Hindi as 21,388 judgments have been translated in Hindi and vetted too… And rest all translated judgments are being vetted. 9,276 judgments have been translated to Punjabi, Odia, Bengali, Urdu, Garo, Assamese, Konkani, many others and all are uploaded on e-SCR portal. Technology cannot distance us from our citizens but bring us closer to them.”
This move is a part of the judiciary’s efforts to make legal resources accessible to a broader audience, breaking down language barriers.
The e-SCR portal, which already offers all judgments in English free of cost to judges, lawyers, litigants, and the general public, is now expanding its linguistic reach. The initiative reflects the Supreme Court’s commitment to embracing technological advancements to bring the judiciary closer to the citizens.
The event was attended by notable figures, including Supreme Court judges Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna, Attorney General for India R Venkataramani, Union Minister of State in charge of Law Arjun Meghwal, and SCBA President Dr. Adish C Aggarwala.
These initiatives by the Supreme Court signify a major step forward in making the legal system more efficient and accessible, particularly for those who face language barriers and for inmates awaiting the execution of their release orders. The launch of these portals on Constitution Day underscores the judiciary’s commitment to upholding the principles of justice, equality, and inclusivity enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
