1.3 bn wholeheartedly welcomed critical judicial verdicts, says PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said 1.3 billion Indians have disregarded apprehensions and “wholeheartedly” accepted recent critical judicial verdicts which were subjects of global discussion.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the International Judicial Conference 2020 – ‘Judiciary and the Changing World’ at the Supreme Court, Modi spoke about recent crucial judgments, in an apparent reference to path-breaking verdicts including in the politically sensitive Ayodhya case.
The Prime Minister said no country or society in the world can claim to achieve holistic development without gender justice and referred to laws on transgenders, ‘triple talaq’ and on the rights of ‘Divyang’ (persons with disabilities).
He said the government has also taken steps to give rights to women in military service and in providing paid maternity leave for 26 weeks.
He also hailed the Indian judiciary for redefining environmental jurisprudence to strike a balance between development and ecological protection.
Modi, while emphasising on the use of technology and the internet, said it would help in procedural management of courts and would benefit the justice delivery system to a large extent.
He also referred to synchronisation of artificial intelligence with human wisdom and said it would bring “speed to delivery of justice”.
“In addition, in the changing times, issues like data protection, cyber crimes pose new challenges for the judiciary,” he said in his inaugural address.