National Judicial Data Centre to come up in Hyderabad, says CJI

Hyderabad: Despite competition from other states, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana said that the National Judicial Data Centre’s (NJDC) headquarters will be established in Hyderabad.

Addressing the gathering at a felicitation program held at the High Court of Hyderabad in honour of the CJI as part of the Telangana State Judicial Officers Conference on Friday, Justice Ramana said that the city may also be home to the National Company Law Tribunals (NCLTs) appellate tribunal.

The CJI will meet with multiple state chief ministers, Chief Justices of High Courts, union ministers and the Prime Minister tentatively on 29, or 30 April to discuss his proposal of upgrading judicial infrastructure such as the NJDC headquarters, among others.

The CJI said that his goal is to make the judiciary accessible for everybody, unburden the judicial system by filling up vacant job posts within the system, and to streamline(upgrade) judicial infrastructure. “Access to justice is possible only when we provide sufficient number of courts as well as infrastructure,” he said.

Justice Ramana also expressed his intention to do something for young advocates during his term by establishing a training academy that would also assist them in their early days. “If the state and other institutions extend their support, I would give the final shape to it during my tenure.” he said.

He encouraged judicial officers to establish a safe environment for litigants and to keep the human aspects of the case in mind at all times. “The judicial officers must be aware of the many vulnerabilities of the parties, including minors, women, and people with disabilities, all of whom may have unique needs. Equity and law are closely linked. When you have the opportunity to exercise your discretion, it is critical to convey the human face of the judiciary,” he added.

The National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) is a database of orders, judgments and case details of 18,735 computerised District & Subordinate Courts created as an online platform under the eCourts Project. Data is updated on a near real-time basis by the connected District and Taluka courts. It provides information relating to judicial proceedings/decisions of all computerized district and subordinate courts of the country.