Publish Date: February 1, 2025
New Delhi, February 1, 2025:
The Supreme Court of India, under the guidance of Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, organized a National Conference on Addressing Issues Faced by the State Judiciary at the Multi-purpose Hall, Administrative Buildings Complex, Supreme Court of India.
The objective of the conference was to bring together stakeholders from the judiciary—especially from District Courts—to identify challenges, share insights, and devise strategies for strengthening the justice delivery system across States and Union Territories.
Key Highlights of the Conference
First Technical Session
- Chaired by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and co-chaired by Justice Abhay S. Oka, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, and Justice Dipankar Datta.
- Discussions focused on narrowing the gap between institution and disposal of cases, identifying case types overburdening courts, reducing case backlogs, and addressing bottlenecks in disposal.
Second Technical Session
- Chaired by Justice B.R. Gavai and co-chaired by Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice K.V. Viswanathan.
- Explored the feasibility of uniform case categorization across courts and leveraging technology to optimize judicial processes.
Third Technical Session
- Chaired by Justice Surya Kant and co-chaired by Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia.
- Discussions included timely recruitment of judicial officers and staff, empanelment of prosecutors and legal aid counsels, creation of permanent IT and Data Cadres in High Courts and District Courts, and ensuring transparency in transfers and judicial elevations.
Fourth Technical Session
- Chaired by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and co-chaired by Justice Vikram Nath, Justice M.M. Sundresh, and Justice Bela Trivedi.
- Addressed career progression and performance evaluation of judicial officers, mentoring mechanisms, need for a common training curriculum, and accountability measures for judiciary staff.
Participation and Deliberations
The conference was attended by Judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justices and Judges of various High Courts, District Judges from across India, and senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice.
Following the technical sessions, a meeting of the Chief Justices and Senior-most Judges of High Courts with the Chief Justice of India, Justice B.R. Gavai, and Justice Surya Kant was held. The meeting discussed crucial issues such as vacancies in High Courts, appointment of ad-hoc Judges, and the establishment of Evening Courts.
Outcome of the Conference
The conference served as an invaluable platform for open dialogue and collaborative solutions to the pressing challenges faced by State judiciaries. By addressing systemic issues such as backlogs, recruitment, technology adoption, and capacity building, the event marked an important step toward strengthening India’s judicial system.
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