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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Access to safe, well-maintained roads a part of right to life: Supreme Court judgment
The Supreme Court has clarified that access to safe, motorable and well-maintained roads is an essential part of the fundamental right to life under the Constitution. A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan held the right to travel to any part of the country was a basic right. 'Since the right to access any part of the country, with certain exceptions and restrictions under certain circumstances, is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, the right to safe, well-maintained, and motorable roads is recognised as a part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,' Justice Mahadevan, who authored the recent judgment, observed. The Court said the maintenance of roads was squarely the responsibility of the State. 'It is the responsibility of the State to develop and maintain the roads directly under its control,' the court noted. The judgment was based on an appeal filed by Umri Pooph Pratappur (UPP) Tollways Private Limited against the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Limited (MPRDC). The dispute appeal was against a State High Court decision on a concession agreement between the two entities for the development of the Umri-Pooph-Pratappur Road on a 'Build, Operate and Transfer' basis. The total cost of the project was ₹73.68 crore for the augmentation of the existing road from the T-Junction of State Highway 45 at Umari Village to 43.775 km on the Umri-Pooph-Pratappur section of Major District Road in the State.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Technology can bring legal aid to doorstep: SC judge
Using technology 'thoughtfully and inclusively…can bridge the persistent gaps in our justice system', said Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant Saturday, and underlined that it cannot, however, replace the human element and 'the heart of justice must remain human'. Speaking at the Justice RC Lahoti Memorial Lecture in Manav Rachna University, Faridabad, on 'Bridging the Gap: Reimagining Legal Aid in the Digital Age for Inclusive Justice in India', Justice Kant said: 'With the right vision and safeguards, technology can break geographical barriers, democratise legal awareness, and bring legal aid to the doorstep — or rather the palm of every citizen. If harnessed thoughtfully and inclusively, it can bridge the persistent gaps in our justice system.' He said that though the country has made big technological strides, 'yet, access to justice remains largely analogue.' 'Courts are online, laws are also digitised, but quality legal aid has yet to trickle down to the last person in line. The digital divide has become the new face of inequality,' Justice Kant said. Emphasising the need 'to address the challenges faced by linguistic and cultural minorities,' Justice Kant said that 'digital platforms must not only be multilingual but also culturally nuanced' and 'when citizens see their own stories, customs, and worldviews reflected in legal education content, barriers of alienation and mistrust crumble, making way for genuine engagement and confidence in the system.' Justice Kant called for holding virtual Lok Adalats by harnessing secure video platforms but cautioned that 'the excitement of technology must be tempered with restraint. The digital divide is very real.' 'No technology is neutral. The tools we build reflect the values we embed in them. As we digitise legal aid, we must design systems with built-in ethics. Privacy must be paramount…' he said. Justice Kant said, 'artificial intelligence algorithms must be designed to flag, not exacerbate, the biases so entrenched in society' and that 'privacy by design, user consent, and continuous public oversight should be the hallmarks of all digital legal solutions, assuring citizens that their quest for justice does not come at the cost of their security or dignity.'
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Technology is powerful but cannot replicate human touch in justice delivery or legal aid: Justice Surya Kant
Supreme Court judge, Justice Surya Kant, said that though technology can make justice delivery systems and legal aid efficient, it cannot replace the human touch. 'Technology is only a tool. The heart of justice must remain human... In a world where machines write poetry and algorithms predict behaviour, we must remember: justice is still a human act. It is not rendered by bandwidth but by conscience. The greatness of the law lies not in authority, but in service; not in rigidity, but in compassion,' Justice Kant said. He was speaking on bridging the 'digital gap' and 'reimagining legal aid in the digital age for inclusive justice in India' at the Justice RC Lahoti Memorial Lecture on Saturday. His speech touched on significant statements regarding the limitations of technology in the field of law. Justice Kant is the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and in line for appointment as the next Chief Justice of India in November as per the seniority norm. The senior top court judge said the legal aid system cannot become a 'factory of canned responses'. 'Automated systems are efficient, but they cannot replace the human touch. Legal aid cannot become a factory of canned responses; it must not reduce people's problems to ticket numbers. There must always be a human fallback — someone to listen, explain, and reassure,' he said. The judge said human empathy was central to justice, whether it was a lawyer responding to a distressed call, a judge presiding over a video-enabled hearing or even a chatbot answering a query. Technology was powerful, but could not replicate the human element at the heart of legal aid. Pointing to Article 39A of the Constitution, Justice Kant said the constitutional provision called upon the State to provide free legal aid to ensure that no citizen was denied justice owing to economic or other disabilities. He said India was among the few nations to constitutionally mandate legal aid. 'Yet, the stark truth is that vast sections of our population — rural citizens, the urban poor, women, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly — still encounter formidable barriers in accessing justice. These may be barriers of awareness, geography, language, money, physical mobility, or social stigma,' Justice Kant noted.
