He also addressed the gathering on the occasion. Chief Justice of India Justice N.V. Ramana, Justice UU Lalit of Supreme Court, Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Prof S.P. Singh Baghel, Supreme Court Judges, Chief Justices of High Courts, Chief Ministers and LGs of states and Union Territories were among those present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said “in our country, while the role of the judiciary is that of the guardian of the constitution, the legislature represents the aspirations of the citizens. I believe that this confluence and balance of these two branches of the Constitution will prepare the roadmap for an effective and time bound judicial system in the country.”
He said that 75 years of independence have continuously clarified the roles and responsibilities of both the judiciary and the executive. Wherever it is necessary, this relation has evolved continuously to give direction to the country, he said. Calling the Conference a vibrant manifestation of the beauty of the Constitution, the Prime Minister said that he has been coming to the conference for a very long time, first as Chief Minister and now as Prime Minister. ‘In a way, I am quite senior in terms of this Conference’ he said in a light-hearted manner.
Setting the tone for the conference, the Prime Minister said “In 2047, when the country will complete 100 years of its independence, then what kind of judicial system would we like to see in the country? How do we make our judicial system so capable that it can fulfil the aspirations of India of 2047, these questions should be our priority today”.
“Our vision in Amrit Kaal should be of such a judicial system in which there is easy justice, speedy justice, and justice for all”, he added.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the government is working hard to reduce delays in justice delivery and efforts are on for increasing judicial strength and improving judicial infrastructure. He said ICT has been deployed for case management and efforts to fill the vacancies at various levels of the judiciary are underway.
The Prime Minister said it is important to promote local languages in the courts so that people of the country feel connected with the judicial process and their faith in the same increases. He said that people's right to judicial process will strengthen by this. He also said that local languages are being promoted in technical education also.
The Prime Minister also talked about the complexities and obsolescence in law. He informed that in 2015, the government identified 1800 laws that had become irrelevant and 1450 laws have already been repealed. Noting that only 75 such laws have been removed by the states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “I would urge all the Chief Ministers that for the rights of the citizens of their state and for their ease of living, definitely steps should be taken in this direction.”
