CJI sets up high-powered panel to modernise judicial infrastructure

The purpose of the Committee is to ensure a unified infrastructural ecosystem on a pan-India basis, the statement added.

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has constituted a high-powered Judicial Infrastructure Advisory Committee to address infrastructural deficiencies in courts across the country and prepare a comprehensive blueprint for their modernisation.

The committee, headed by Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, will identify the varied needs of High Courts and District Courts and work towards creating a unified infrastructural ecosystem on a pan-India basis.

Besides Justice Kumar, the panel includes Justices Debangsu Basak (Calcutta High Court), Ashwani Kumar Mishra (Punjab and Haryana High Court), and Somasekhar Sundaresan (Bombay High Court).

The Director General of the Central Public Works Department and the Secretary General of the Supreme Court will also be members.

Announcing the formation of the committee, the Supreme Court Secretary General said it has been set up keeping in view the diverse infrastructural requirements of different courts.

The committee will submit its report to the Chief Justice of India, who will take up the matter with the Union Government and respective state governments for necessary financial support and implementation.

“A Judicial Infrastructure Advisory Committee has been constituted by the Chief Justice of India keeping in view the varied infrastructural requirements of different High Courts and District Courts," a statement said.

The purpose of the Committee is to ensure a unified infrastructural ecosystem on a pan-India basis, it added.

The committee will submit its report to the Chief Justice of India who shall, on consideration thereof, take up the matter with the Government of India and the state governments, the official said.

The panel is expected to focus on key areas such as removing systemic constraints, improving facilities for litigants and lawyers, expanding the e-Courts project to bridge the digital divide, and building modern court complexes suited for the 21st century. It will also push for implementation of cutting-edge technology to help expedite case disposal.