Key Highlights:
As the newly appointed Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna took office on November 11, 2024, he has taken aggressive initiatives to make the Supreme Court more efficient and accessible. He initiated these reform measures by streamlining judicial procedures to make them less technical and more people-friendly.
Scrap Oral Mentioning
One of the first reforms CJI Khanna has issued is the abolition of oral mentioning for urgent cases. Traditionally, attorneys were entitled to orally mention such an application to the courts for the advance listing of an urgent case. Under this new directive, such requests would have to be submitted either by email or written slips with reasons as to why it deserves urgent hearing. Thus, uniformity and transparency are achieved in the process of listing of urgent cases.
Vision for an Accessible Judiciary
CJI Khanna has placed on record his vision about an accessible and user-friendly judiciary. This can be identified as emphasizing in particular that the judiciary is an integral but distinct and independent part of the governance system. His approach focuses on simplifying complex legal procedures, reducing litigation costs, and not allowing the legal process to become a burden on citizens’ shoulders.
Reducing pendency of cases
An important area that concerns CJI Khanna is the pendency of cases in the judiciary. He further calls for a systemic reform in reducing the duration of trial so that the justice delivery mechanism may be made efficient. This way, he hopes that the resolution of cases will gain momentum and the burden on the judicial system might light up.
Reformation in Management of Criminal Case
CJI Khanna has criminalized case management reforming as his focus area. He puts the record straight in restating the necessity of fair treatment and equal opportunities in access across the status lines into the panditregime unopposed by money or muscle. Such just and not biased adjudication forms the core of his vision for the judiciary.
Citizens’ Rights Commitment
In his speech, CJI Khanna restates the judiciary as the protector of citizen rights and as a dispute resolver. He further underlined that it is a constitutional mandate to ensure ease of access for justice to all citizens through the judiciary’s pursuit of fundamental rights and freedoms.
Conclusion
The first steps taken of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna reflect commitment towards reforms in the judiciary to make the same more efficient, transparent, and accessible to one and all. While eliminating oral mentioning and focusing more on systemic improvements would create for a judicial system that will be better suited to meet the needs and expectations of the public while upholding the principles of justice.
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