Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stressed the urgent need for the judiciary to address the pain, aspirations, and demands of the common man through a mechanism that ensures immediate relief. He emphasised that the judiciary should function like hospitals, operating 24×7 to ensure timely delivery of justice.

To achieve this, he suggested the use of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce delays and improve efficiency in the judicial system. The CJI stated that technology is the only effective solution to the wastage of judicial time and procedural delays, and called for the strengthening of AI-based judicial architecture to expedite the justice delivery process.

The CJI’s emphasis on optimum utilisation of technological advancements, which have been part of the judicial system since the 1990s, and on the creation of a unified digital platform for better coordination, accessibility, and efficiency within courts, could prove to be a game changer if implemented effectively. The Indian judiciary is notorious for delays, with records showing that most cases take years to conclude, epitomising the saying, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” With a huge backlog of cases pending in courts and people often awaiting justice for decades, there is an urgent need to clear these backlogs and ensure speedy and fair delivery of justice.