Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday advocated for the development of a national judicial policy to encourage coherence between 25 High Courts across the country and Supreme Court benches.
Addressing the Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court, the CJI said the institutional framework would reinforce predictability in the judicial approach and bring clarity and consistency to the judiciary. Justice cannot resemble a set of
instruments producing harmonious notes in isolation but discordant sounds when played together. There should be a judicial symphony, expressed in many voices and languages but guided by a common constitutional score, he noted.
The CJI highlighted access to justice as a constitutional imperative anchored in Articles 32 and 39A. Despite judicial advances in expanding Article 21 and strengthening the enforceability of rights, systemic barriers, including financial burdens, linguistic hurdles, geographic distance, and procedural delays, continued to undermine the constitutional promise for many citizens, particularly those at the margins, he noted.
Marking 76 years since the Constitution came into force, he reflected on the framers’ vision of a document meant to evolve with societal, economic, and technological transformations. CJI Surya Kant noted that the Constitution had served as a stabilising force through decades of rapid national development, from industrial expansion and policy maturation to the growth of sophisticated legislative and regulatory frameworks.
The CJI described the realisation of universal access to justice as an essential expression of constitutional fidelity requiring coordinated institutional action. Meaningful reform must begin with the expansion of judicial infrastructure in its broadest sense, not limited to physical facilities but extending to administrative capacity, human resources, and technology-enabled processes.
He underscored that the justice system must be treated as a holistic ecosystem comprising courts, quasi-judicial forums, ADR mechanisms, and citizen-facing digital pathways.
Delivering his first public address after assuming the office of CJI, he said mediation was one of the most transformative developments in contemporary Indian jurisprudence, which could provide humane, participatory, and cost-effective dispute resolution. He termed the nationwide Mediation for the Nation initiative and the launch of an extensive online mediation training programme significant steps toward mainstreaming mediation, especially for matrimonial, motor accident, and commercial disputes.
CJI Kant also spoke on institutional arbitration, recognising its role in strengthening India’s global legal standing. With the establishment of advanced arbitration centres and the judiciary’s consistent support for arbitral autonomy, the country was positioning itself as a credible and attractive venue for international dispute resolution, he added.
Terming technology as the unifying element of the future justice delivery system, he said that digital filing, virtual hearings, transcription tools, multilingual digital interfaces, and modern case management systems have already begun to democratise access to courts. The CJI, however, warned that technological integration must remain inclusive to prevent the digital divide from becoming a new barrier to justice.
He also underlined the value of international collaboration, noting that shared judicial experiences and cross-border institutional exchange should be treated as practical mechanisms for systemic strengthening rather than mere diplomatic formality.
The CJI said that the Constitution derived life from the conduct of institutions and citizens, not merely from its text. He called for a collective commitment to refine and strengthen the justice system so that constitutional rights remain effective, enforceable, and meaningful for all.
He noted that the country’s constitutional democracy stood strongest not when rights were proclaimed, but when they were consistently secured through a responsive and accessible justice delivery system.
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