CHIEF Justice of India Surya Kant batted for technology-driven reforms in the judicial system of Bhutan, and said access to justice depended critically on the optimum utilisation of technological advancements. Delivering a keynote address at the Royal University of Bhutan in Thimphu on ‘Access to Justice in the 21st Century: Technology, Legal Aid and People Centred Courts’, CJI Kant also said that he had conveyed to Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay that the Supreme Court of India, along with the high courts, would be delighted to offer internship opportunities to Bhutanese students. “Let us remember that technology is merely the modern vessel in this era, and our task is to ensure that while the tools of the 21st century are sophisticated, they remain as humble and accessible as the tongue of the people.

 

“In the end, what we must unflinchingly understand is that justice is not a cloistered virtue locked behind the heavy wooden doors of a courtroom; instead, it is a living presence that must be allowed to walk out into the world, into the high valleys and the bustling markets, and into the very homes of the people,” the CJI said. He added that it would be a privilege for the Indian judiciary to facilitate student exchanges, including providing boarding and lodging where necessary, so that financial constraints do not stand in the way of meaningful legal exposure.