"Judges Work All Seven Days Of The Week": CJI Chandrachud
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, speaking at the inauguration of the Arbitration Center in Prayagraj and the launch of the book “Courts of Uttar Pradesh” underscored the dedication of judges who work tirelessly often seven days a week.
Addressing misconceptions about judicial vacations, CJI Chandrachud emphasized the rigorous schedules of district court judges, who are tasked with legal aid camps and administrative duties even on weekends. As quoted in Live Law, he said, “All of us are criticized for the vacations we have. They all say, “inko chutti bahut jyada milti hai” (they get a lot of holidays). People don’t understand that judges work all seven days of the week. Our district judges work on every single say, even on Saturdays and Sundays they have to do legal aid camps or they have to do other administrative work.”
In a move towards transparency, CJI Chandrachud revealed his call for Supreme Court judges to disclose weekend engagements, aiming to document these activities in the Supreme Court Chronicles for public access.
With the advent of live streaming of court proceedings on platforms like YouTube, he noted the heightened scrutiny judges face, urging caution in remarks as everything uttered in court is now broadcasted nationally and globally. “In the earlier years, what we said in the court was only seen and heard by 50 people or 100 people present in the court. Now what you say or hear in the court is relayed to the entire nation and beyond,” he stated.
Highlighting the integration of technology into the justice system, CJI Chandrachud articulated its dual purpose: enhancing judicial efficiency and ensuring accessibility for all citizens. “The idea of doing this in a more technology-savvy way is to first make us more efficient as judges, but most importantly to take the work that we do to the live of our citizens. And technology is a very key instrument in ensuring that the work which we do, does not remain aloof from the community, but takes it right to the heart of the community,” he said, according to a Live Law report.
He stressed the importance of bridging the digital divide, ensuring that individuals without smartphones can still access legal services through initiatives like e-seva Kendra.
The CJI also noted that the implementation of hybrid hearings has fostered gender equality in the legal profession, allowing women to participate on par with their male counterparts. The scale of digital transformation in the judiciary was also revealed during the ceremony, with over 48.41 crore pages of judicial files digitized, benefiting millions of litigants across the state. Approximately, one crore judicial files with over 50 crore pages are yet to be digitized.
It was also announced that the digitization effort extended to all district courts in the state.
