The Joint Conference of Chief Justices of High Courts and Chief Ministers of States to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday in New Delhi will be attended by Chief Minister Raman Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session. Chief Ministers of all the States and Chief Justices of all the High Courts have been invited to the Conference, an official press release stated. The Minister of law and Justice DV Sadananda Gowda will give the welcome speech. The Chief Justice of India Justice Hl Dattu will also address and will then preside over the working sessions, accompanied by the Minister of law and Justice and two senior most judges of the Supreme Court of India.
The conference is periodically held to address pressing issues relating to the administration of justice in the country. The last such conference was held on April 7, 2013. A comprehensive agenda has been drawn up for the Conference. With 2.64 crore undecided cases in the subordinate courts and 42 lakh cases in the High Courts, expeditious disposal of cases is the key issue to be discussed. To address this issue, the agenda includes discussion on development of infrastructure, undertaking judicial reforms, ICT enablement of courts and specific steps required for reduction of arrears and ensuring speedy trial, it stated.
The Government is committed to improve the ease of doing business in India. The role of the justice system in this regard will be discussed in the Conference. The 14th Finance Commission has endorsed a number of activities aimed at improving the justice delivery system at an estimated cost of Rs9749 crore over the next 5 years and has urged States Governments to undertake these activities from additional devolution of funds to States, it stated. The Chief Ministers of States and the Chief Justices of the High Courts will discuss modalities of funding these important initiatives.
Several important issues have been included in the agenda of the Conference of the Chief Justices to be held preceding this Joint Conference. These include developing a National Vision and Mission Plan for the justice sector for 2015-20, salaries and emoluments of sitting and retired judges, promotion and service conditions of judicial officers in the subordinate judiciary and greater financial autonomy for the Indian judiciary. Strengthening of legal aid services, alternate dispute settlement mechanism, judicial academies and juvenile justice system will also be discussed.
The Central Government has undertaken many initiatives to improve the justice delivery system. Rs3131 crore has been released to States for development of infrastructure since 2011 and another Rs1947 crore was released under the 13th Finance Commission for ADR Centres, Judicial Academies, lok Adalats, Training etc.
The Conference is likely to discuss how to leverage this investment for improving justice delivery. The first Phase of the e-Court Mission Mode Project has just concluded with an investment of about Rs600 crore, under which case data of 13672 courts is now online. The National Judicial Data Grid presently covering courts under the jurisdiction of 21 out of 24 High Courts is available to the judiciary for improving case and court management and judicial performance.
The Conference is expected to come up with definite outcomes in the form of resolutions for implementation by the judiciary and the Central and State Governments. At the conclusion of the working sessions, the Chief Justice of India and the Minister of law & Justice will also brief the media at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Sunday about the deliberations and decisions taken at the conference .