“Justice is at the root of independent self-governance and without justice even the existence of any nation is not possible,” Modi said while during the inauguration of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) – Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitors General Conference (CASGC) in New Delhi.
He said when a society collaborates that it is easy to understand each other’s system better.
“Greater understanding brings greater synergy; synergy boosts better and faster justice delivery,” he said.
The theme of the conference was ‘Cross-Border Challenges in Justice Delivery’. The conference will deliberate on important issues pertaining to law and justice like judicial transition and the ethical dimensions of legal practice; executive accountability; and revisiting modern-day legal education, among others.
Throwing light on the radical changes in the nature and scope of crime in recent times, PM Modi pointed out the vast networks created by criminals across countries and their usage of the latest technology both in funding and operations.
He also drew attention to the fact that economic crimes in one region are being used to fund activities in other regions, and the challenges of the rise of cryptocurrency and cyber threats.
He also highlighted that reform cannot take place without making the justice system more citizen-centric as ease of justice is the pillar of justice delivery.
On Lok Adalats or ‘people’s court’, he said that it provides a settlement mechanism for small cases related to public utility services and is a pre litigation service where thousands of cases are resolved while ensuring ease of justice delivery.
Giving insights into realising the potential of women in every domain, PM Modi suggested making each domain inclusive at the educational level.
He said that an increase in the number of women in law schools will lead to an increase in the number of women in the legal profession.
He also suggested exchanging ideas on how more women can be brought into legal education.
PM Modi pointed out that India’s legal system was inherited from colonial times, but the last few years have witnessed a record number of reforms.
He mentioned the abolition of thousands of obsolete laws from colonial times, some of which had the potential to become tools to harass people, and underlined that it has boosted ease of living and ease of doing business.
“India is also modernising laws to reflect the present realities,” Modi said, highlighting that the three new legislations have replaced more than 100-year-old colonial criminal laws.
“Earlier, the focus was on punishment and penal aspects. Now, the focus is on ensuring justice. Therefore, citizens have a sense of assurance rather than fear,” he said.
