CJI Surya Kant bats for approachable people's courts: 'Available beyond working hours in legal emergencies'

CJI Justice Surya Kant

• Citizens can seek urgent court relief even late at night in legal emergencies
• CJI Surya Kant plans to keep courts open for emergencies beyond regular hours.
• More constitution benches planned for key cases, including women's rights.

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In cases of urgent legal crises, citizens will be able to approach constitutional courts for immediate relief even late at night, CJI Surya Kant said. Citizens can seek a hearing in case they are threatened with arrest by investigative agencies even at the dead of night.

Emphasising the protection of fundamental rights and personal liberty, the Chief Justice stated that his goal is to ensure the Supreme Court and high courts remain accessible beyond regular working hours in genuine emergencies.

"My endeavour is and will be to make the Supreme Court and high courts people's courts which can be approached at any time beyond working hours in legal emergencies," CJI Surya Kant told TOI.

The Chief Justice said that setting up more constitution benches to hear long-pending cases involving significant constitutional questions is among his key priorities. He pointed to petitions challenging the legality of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an example, noting that the exercise began in Bihar and has since been extended to around a dozen states.

According to the CJI, the constitution bench examining the SIR-related challenges will take up the matter after the nationwide electoral roll revision process is completed.

The CJI added that he would explore the possibility of constituting a nine-judge bench to decide many petitions that highlight the tension between the right to religious freedom and women's rights. He noted that the question has emerged across three sets of cases, one of which involves review petitions against the Supreme Court's verdict permitting women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala temple.

Traditionally, women of menstruating age were prohibited from entering the Sabarimala shrine. Another group of petitions challenges practices such as female genital mutilation within the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and restrictions on women's entry into mosques. A third set of pleas questions the exclusion of Parsi women who marry outside the community from entering Agiaries, the places of worship of Zoroastrians.