Judiciary secures Rs 8,000 cr allocation during SC Chief Justice Chandrachud’s tenure

CJI Chandrachud's tenure has been a golden year for allocations

Since Budget 2023, the Union government has allocated a total of Rs 8,000 crore to the judiciary for various projects. What is noteworthy is that these allocations were made under the chief justiceship of DY Chandrachud.

In Budget 2023, the government allocated Rs 7,000 crore for the third phase of the e-courts project. On January 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an allocation of Rs 800 crore for the expansion of the Supreme Court (SC) complex.

While the government making allocations to the judiciary is not new, it is the quantum of allocation that is grabbing attention now.

The Rs 7,000-crore allocation for the e-courts project is over a four-fold jump from the Rs 1,670 crore granted for the second phase of the digital upgrade of courts in 2015. This is the highest allocation for digitising the judiciary.

Highest allocation since 2012

Similarly, the announcement of Rs 800 crore is perhaps the largest capital expenditure allocation for the SC since 2012. In 2012, the cabinet approved the construction of an additional office complex (AOC) at an estimated cost of Rs 884.30 crore.

While the government has, time and again, allocated funds for the judiciary, do these large show a healthy bonhomie between the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India (CJI)?

While the CJI has never shied away from criticising or passing orders against the government, he has always shared a positive opinion about the government’s allocation for improving the judiciary’s infrastructure.

Here are some instances when the bonhomie between the two arms of the government were on display.

Modi on Chandrachud

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has heaped praises on CJI Chandrachud on many occasions for his initiatives at the SC. Considering both the PM and CJI are pro-digitisation, the former never misses an opportunity to praise the latter.

In his speech on January 28, the PM said: “I appreciate the fact that Chief Justice Chandrachud himself is monitoring the digitisation of courts across the country. I congratulate him for his efforts towards ease of justice.”

In early January, the PM took to X to praise the CJI after he spoke in Gujarati at an event organised by the bar association.

In September 2023, the PM lauded him after he announced that the SC will soon be linked to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), saying such harnessing of technology will further transparency and enhance the justice delivery system in the country. NJDG is a near real-time repository of data on the pendency and disposal of cases.

Similarly, the PM, in his Independence Day speech, praised the SC for its efforts in getting its judgments translated to regional languages. The CJI acknowledged PM Modi’s praise, both at the event and in his speech in the SC later the same day.

Chandrachud on Rs 7,000 crore allocation

Even though Chandrachud took oath as the CJI in November 2022, he had been heading the e-committee of the top court for close to two years. Many of the digitisation projects, including virtual hearings, were implemented under his aegis. Thus, he played a key role in obtaining the budgetary allocation for e-courts.

Speaking at an event, days after the Rs 7,000 crore allocation for the e-courts project, Chandrachud hailed the allocation and noted that it will help to enhance the accessibility of judicial institutions. “Such endeavours (e-courts) will ensure that the court truly reaches out to every citizen of the country,” he said.

Similarly, while asking the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to approach the government with a proposal for a new building for lawyers’ chambers, the CJI hailed the government’s allocation. “We did not suffer even a rupee cut in the budget that we had proposed," he said.

Launched in 2005, the project was conceptualised to equip the Indian judiciary with information and communication technology by digitising every facet of litigation from initiation to judgement. The first phase saw the computerisation of district and taluka courts, with the Case Information Software (CIS) for providing basic case-related services to litigants and lawyers. The Phase 2 saw the integration of systems across courts in the country and the introduction of the NJDG, a near real-time repository of data on the pendency and disposal of cases.