New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the joint conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.


He said that the Union government abolished 1,450 laws that had become irrelevant, but only 75 laws have been abolished by the states.


Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju also spoke at the inaugural session.


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Addressing the gathering at Vigyan Bhawan, PM Modi said: "We are doing our best to improve the judicial system. We are also working to improve and upgrade the judicial infrastructures."


"Government of India considers technology in the judicial system as an essential part of the Digital India mission. The e-courts project is being implemented today in mission mode," he added, as quoted by news agency ANI.


The Prime Minister noted that all the proceedings of the High Courts and the Supreme Court are conducted in English, hence, "a large population finds it difficult to understand the judicial process and decisions, we need to make the system simple for the general public."


He pitched for encouraging local languages in courts to boost the confidence of the common citizens of the country in the justice system.


"Nowadays subjects like blockchains, electronic discovery, cybersecurity, robotics, AI, and bioethics are being taught in law universities in many countries. In our country also legal education should be according to these international standards, it is our responsibility," PM Modi said.


He further mentioned that in 2015, the Union government identified about 1,800 laws that had become irrelevant, "Out of these, the Centre abolished 1,450 such laws. But, only 75 laws have been abolished by the States."


Meanwhile, CJI NV Ramana in his address stressed that "while discharging our duty, we should be mindful of Lakshman Rekha."


"Constitution provides separation of power among three organs and harmonious function between them strengthens democracy," he added, as quoted by news agency PTI.


About The Joint Conference


According to Prime Minister's office, the Joint Conference is an occasion for the executive and the judiciary to come together to create frameworks for simple and convenient delivery of justice and to discuss steps required to overcome the challenges facing the justice system.


"Since then, the government has taken various initiatives for improving infrastructure and integration of digital technology in court processes under eCourts Mission Mode Project," reads the official statement.


Following the conference's opening, a series of working sessions will be held in which the chief ministers and chief justices will debate the agenda topics and try to reach an agreement.


The Joint Conference brings together the executive and judicial branches of government to develop frameworks for delivering justice in a simple and convenient manner, as well as to examine the actions needed to address the system's challenges.


On Friday, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana chaired the 39th conference of Chief Justices of various High Courts of the country. 


Both the Chief Justices' conference and the joint conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices are being held after a gap of six years, at the initiative of the CJI Ramana, ANI reported.


(With Agency Inputs)