Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that no one has ever told him to decide a case in a particular way in his 23 years as a judge. CJI Chandrachud spoke at the India Today Conclave 2023 on Saturday, the first appearance of a sitting Chief Justice.
In my 23 years as a judge of a high court, as the chief justice of a high court, and as a judge of the Supreme Court, no one and I hope you will trust me when I say that no one has told me to decide a case in a particular way. He acknowledged that there are various kinds of pressures. He stated that he would complete 23 years as a judge by the end of the month. I am the longest serving judge in the judiciary. Justice Bobde and Justice Khanwilkar and I were appointed on the same day, he said.
We are so clear in the principles that we follow. I wouldn't even talk to a colleague who is presiding over a case and ask them what is going on in that particular case. There are some lines that we draw for ourselves. He said that he said that in high courts, there are appeals against decisions of colleagues because the decision of a single judge of a high court goes to a division bench of two judges.
If by pressure you meant pressure from the executive or political arm of the government, absolutely no! CJI Chandrachud said something.
He said that when it comes to the pressures on the conscience, there are times when certain cases that come before them give a sense of doubt and that they are looking for the correct solutions.
CJI Chandrachud said that there was a need to modernise the Indian judiciary. Justice to my mind is not just a sovereign function, which it is, but an essential service we should provide, he said. He said they were using AI and machine learning to translate SC judgements in English to local languages and reach out to citizens in a language they follow.