PM inaugurates Diamond Jubilee celebration of Supreme Court

Newdelhi:28/1/24:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Supreme Court of India on 28 January at the Supreme Court auditorium in Delhi. He also launched citizen-centric information and technology initiatives that include Digital Supreme Court Reports (Digi SCR), Digital Courts 2.0 and a new website for the Supreme Court.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated everyone and expressed gratitude for being present when the Supreme Court of India is marking the beginning of its 75th year today and also mentioned the Constitution of India entering its 75th year two days ago.

The Prime Minister said that the makers of the Indian constitution saw the dream of a free India based on freedom, equality, and justice and the Supreme Court has continuously tried to preserve these principles. The Prime Minister said “Whether it is freedom of expression, personal freedom or social justice, the Supreme Court has strengthened India’s vibrant democracy.” The Prime Minister noted the milestone judgments on individual rights and freedom of speech that have given a new direction to the nation’s socio-political environment.

PM Modi reiterated the parameters of goals for the next 25 years for every branch of the government and said that today’s economic policies will form the basis of tomorrow’s vibrant India. “Laws that are being laid down today will strengthen the bright future of India”, PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi reiterated the collective responsibility of all citizens towards realizing India’s vision of becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047. He concluded by acknowledging the significant role the Supreme Court will play in shaping the country’s future over the next 25 years and congratulated the institution on its 75th anniversary. The Prime Minister mentioned Padma Bhushan being conferred posthumously to M. Fathima Beevi and expressed pride for this opportunity.

Chief Justice of India, Dr. D Y Chandrachud, Union Minister for Law and Justice, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Judges of Supreme Court, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Attorney General of India, Shri R Venkataramani, President of Supreme Court Bar Association, Dr Adish C Aggarwal and Chairman of Bar Council of India, Shri Manan Kumar Mishra were present on the occasion.

Background

Unveiling the seventy-fifth year of the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister launched citizen-centric information and technology initiatives that include Digital Supreme Court Reports (Digi SCR), Digital Courts 2.0, and the new website of the Supreme Court.

The Digital Supreme Court Reports (SCR) will make Supreme Court judgments available to the citizens of the country free of cost and in electronic format. The key features of digital SCR are that all 519 volumes of the Supreme Court report since 1950, covering 36,308 cases, shall be available in a digital format, bookmarked, user-friendly, and with open access.

Digital Courts 2.0 application is a recent initiative under the e-Courts project to make court records available to the Judges of the district courts in electronic form. This is coupled with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for transcribing speech to text on a real-time basis.

The Prime Minister also launched the new website of the Supreme Court. The new website will be in bilingual format in English and Hindi and has been redesigned with a user-friendly interface.