Supreme Court of India Celebrates Constitution Day President of India Unveils the Statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar at The Supreme Court Premises

(Judicial Quest News Network)

The Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu lead the Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court by unveiling a statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar today.

The Hon’ble President of India also launched the e-initiatives of the Supreme Court of India including Virtual Justice Clock, E-SCR (Hindi) and FASTER (Version 2.0) so as to enhance transparency, accessibility, and eco-friendly approach of Supreme Court.

The purpose of Virtual Justice Clock is to bring awareness and transparency about justice delivery system. It provides information about Institution, Disposal and Case clearance rate (CCR) of Courts and is now also available in Hindi.

The Supreme Court also took a decision to translate its judgments to regional languages with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Today e-SCR (Hindi) has been launched which will allow users to search for judgments in Hindi.

The portal as of date has 21,388 Judgments translated into Hindi and 9,276 Judgments have been translated into other regional languages. FASTER (Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records) is a digital platform to communicate interim orders, stay orders, bail orders etc., of the Supreme Court to authorities concerned through a secured electronic communication channel so as to ensure timely release of Undertrials.

First copy of the Annual Report of the Supreme Court of India was also presented to the Hon’ble President of India by the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India. Hon’ble President of India in her inaugural address reiterated the values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity highlighted in the Preamble and said that these are the principles on which we have agreed to conduct ourselves as a nation.

These are the civilisational values of humankind, finding their best expression in the wisdom of this land, she said and added that if there is one word that sums up the four foundational values, it has to be democracy.

Hon’ble President of India stated that the cause of justice is best served by making it accessible for all. “This also strengthens equality.

We should ask ourselves, especially on occasions like todays, whether every single citizen is in a position to seek justice”. Smt Droupadi Murmu, Hon’ble President of India, appreciated the initiatives taken by the Supreme Court in particular and the judiciary in general to expand the scope of free legal aid.

Lawyers and civil society too have contributed to it, she said. Hon’ble President observed that the youth have become more interested in our history, and if they learn more about the transformative work of visionaries like Babasaheb Ambedkar, the future of the Republic will be in safe hands.

In her concluding remarks, Hon’ble President of India said “As we celebrate the Constitution Day, we should note that the Constitution is after all only a written document.

It comes alive and remains alive only if its contents are put into practice. That requires the exercise of interpretation.

I must congratulate the Supreme Court for playing the role of the final interpreter of our founding document to the perfection. Well aware of their role and responsibility in India’s democracy, this Court’s bar and bench have constantly raised the standards of jurisprudence.

Their legal acumen and scholarship have been par excellence.

Like our Constitution, our Supreme Court too has been a model for many other nations.

With a vibrant judiciary, I am sure the health of our democracy is never going to be a cause of concern”. Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India, Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, also addressed the august gathering and said that the statue of Dr Ambedkar that was unveiled today in the Supreme Court premises is an extension of the thought that the right to approach the Court is “heart and soul” of the Constitution, as Dr Ambedkar famously said. Hon’ble CJI further said that our Constitution has allowed us to take the unbridled passions and energy, and streamline them through institutional structures of government.

So, when we say today, we honour the adoption of the Constitution, first and foremost, we honour the fact that the Constitution “exists”, and that the Constitution “works”, he added. Hon’ble CJI stated that in the last seven decades, the Supreme Court of India has acted as a “people’s court”.

Thousands of citizens have approached its door with the faith that they will get justice through this institution.

He further added that our Court is perhaps the only Court in the world where any citizen, no matter who they are or where they come from, can set in motion the constitutional machinery of the Supreme Court simply by even writing to the Chief Justice of India.

Chief Justice of India informed the gathering that apart from ensuring that the citizens get justice through its judgments, the Supreme Court of India has been making continuous endeavours to ensure that even its administrative processes are citizen-centric, so that the common citizen feels a connection with the working of the Court.

While the judiciary embraces technology, Supreme Court has also launched e-Sewa Kendras in all courts to ensure that no citizen is left behind in the judicial process. “We embrace our citizens as co-equal partners in a shared national endeavour”, said the CJI. Hon’ble Chief Justice of India expressed hope that by our efforts, citizens of every class, caste, and creed can repose trust in our court system and view it as a fair and effective forum to enforce their rights and that individuals should not be afraid of going to court, or view it as a last resort.

Hon’ble Shri Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge Supreme Court of India in his welcome address said that the Constitution of India is a living document which is ever evolving and has the ability to adapt to the hopes and aspirations of our citizens. The gathering was also addressed by Hon’ble Minister of State of Law and Justice (Independent Charge), Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal; Shri R Vektaramni, Attorney General of India and Dr Adish C Aggarwala, President, Supreme Court Bar Association. Hon’ble Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge Supreme Court of India thanked the honourable President of India and other esteemed dignitaries for joining the Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court. Working Sessions on 100 years of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar’s law practice; state of the judiciary and institutionalising the use of technology in judicial administration are a part of the day long celebrations.