Friday, November 8, was the last working day of Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud. On the last day of his more than eight-year tenure in the Supreme Court, by a majority of 4:3 he rejected the 1967 judgment in S Aziz Basha vs Union of India, which had held that the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) It was not a minority institution. That is, even on his last day of work, he took an important decision and by joining the 7-judge bench, he granted minority status to Aligarh Muslim University.
CJI Chandrachud will retire from his post on November 10, 2024. During his tenure he was part of 23 constitutional benches and during this period he wrote 612 judgments. He was part of 10,294 courts and handed down rulings on various topics. In fact, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2016 and became Chief Justice in November 2022. During his tenure, issues such as confidentiality, federalism and even arbitration. He gave many important decisions that became a topic of discussion many times.
Some important decisions pronounced by Chief Justice Chandrachud-
Electoral Bonds Case: The five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the central government’s electoral bond scheme for political financing.
Personal property: The Constitutional Court had ruled that all private property cannot be treated as a material resource of the community for redistribution under Article 39 (B) of the Constitution.
Right to Privacy: In August 2017, a nine-judge constitutional court unanimously ruled that the right to privacy is protected by Article 21 as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty.
Right to abortion for single women: CJI Chandrachud expanded the rights of unmarried women by allowing them to seek abortion up to 24 weeks under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, just like married women.
Government of Delhi v LG: In May 2023, a five-judge constitutional court ruled that the legislature has control over bureaucrats in the administration of services, except in areas outside the legislative powers of the National Capital Region.
Abolition of article 377: The five-judge constitutional bench abolished Section 377 of the IPC. Previously, homosexuality was considered a crime in this section.
Removal of ban imposed on women in Sabarimala: In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a rule that girls and women between the ages of 10 and 50 were not allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
Ayodhya land dispute: In November 2019, a five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the disputed lands be given to a trust to be formed for the construction of the Ram temple and that Muslims should be given land near the site or in some suitable place. in Ayodhya to build a mosque. Of the acquired land, five acres of land in a prime location should be given.
Penalty of adultery: In September 2018, a five-judge constitutional bench held that adultery is not a crime and removed it from the Indian Penal Code and held that Section 497 of the IPC is unconstitutional as it violates Articles 14, 15 and 21.
Technical changes to Supreme Court procedures
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud made many technical changes related to the proceedings of the Supreme Court during his tenure, providing great convenience to both lawyers and petitioners. This has not only simplified the entire process but has also made it more litigation friendly. The following technical changes took place during the tenure of Justice Chandrachud-
hybrid audience
Among the main achievements are the facilities introduced that facilitate litigation, including the hybrid hearing system. During a hearing, the CJI had observed: “Technology is no longer a matter of choice and is as important as law books. How will courts function without technology?”
List and mention of cases
The Chief Justice of India had ordered 10 transfer petitions and 10 bail applications to be filed daily before each court. Now a new system has been devised and all days of the week are reserved for dealing with cases belonging to specific categories related to criminal cases, MACT cases, arbitration cases, etc.
In addition, a new case mention system was introduced to ensure that all urgent matters are mentioned before the Court in a timely and organized manner. All advocates are now required to send emails regarding mentions and requests are addressed.
paperless court
With a view to reduce paper usage, the CJI introduced e-filing for advocates, including an online appearance portal for advocates. To provide more transparency, the Supreme Court linked its case data to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).
new smart courtroom
The first three courts of the Supreme Court have been completely transformed into the courts of the future. With all the new technology and now there is a paperless court. The judges’ platform now has new smart pop-up screens in front of the judges to read the documents. Digital libraries have replaced law books in courtrooms. For uninterrupted video conferencing, a 120-inch screen has been installed on one wall of the judges’ room.
