AMN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called upon the legal fraternity to create a global legal framework to tackle the misuse of cyber terrorism and money laundering. Inaugurating a two-day International Lawyers Conference in New Delhi this morning, the Prime Minister said whether it is cyber terrorism, money laundering, artificial intelligence, or its misuse, the world needs a global framework to tackle these issues.
He added that it is not one government that can do this but the legal frameworks of different countries that need to join together. The Prime Minister said that when threats are global the way to deal with them should also be global.
The Prime Minister mentioned the simplicity of language and law. He informed about the ongoing discussion regarding presenting any law in two languages – one to which the legal system is accustomed and another for common citizens. “Citizens should feel that the law belongs to them”, he emphasised as he underlined that the Government is making an effort to draft new laws in simple language and gave the example of the Data Protection Law. The Prime Minister congratulated the Supreme Court of India for making arrangements to get its judgments translated into 4 local languages Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Oriya and hailed the monumental change in the judicial system of India. He added that Lok Adalats are also playing a big role and they have solved about seven lakh cases in the last six years.
Talking about the Women Reservation Bill 2023, which was passed in Parliament recently, Prime Minister Modi said that this conference is taking place during that period when India is taking several historic steps. Mr Modi said the Narishakti Vandan Act will give a new direction and new energy to women’s development in India. Highlighting the Chandrayaan Mission -3, the Prime Minister said that, Bharat became the first nation to reach the South pole of the moon and is working towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. He, however, added that for this an unbiased, strong, and independent judiciary is needed. He also mentioned that the world got a glimpse of India’s democracy, demography and diplomacy at the recently concluded G20 Summit in New Delhi.
Mr. Modi said that the experience of legal professionals worked to strengthen the foundation of Independent India. He said that the Judiciary and Bar have been the guardians of the Indian judicial system for years. The Prime Minister added that the legal fraternity plays a very important role in the building of any country. Speaking on Alternate Dispute Resolution, the Prime Minister said that with the increasing complexity of commercial transactions, ADR has gained currency all over the world. He said that in order to systematise the informal tradition of dispute resolution in India, the Government of India has enacted a mediation Act.
The Prime Minister also expressed the need for strong, independent and unbiased foundations for the legal system in India to achieve the goal of a developed nation. He expressed confidence that the International Lawyers’ Conference 2023 will turn out to be extremely successful and each country will get an opportunity to learn from the best practices of other nations.
Speaking at the event Union Minister Arjun Mehgwal today said under the Prime Minister’s leadership and guidance, the Government has made efforts to strengthen contract enforcement and commercial dispute resolution for ease of doing business.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud called for collaboration of the world’s legal fraternity to find innovative solutions to challenges to justice delivery. Mr Chandrachud said that it is utopian to think that there will be a day when we will find perfect solutions and no challenges to justice delivery. He added that it is definitely not utopian, to aspire to a world where nations institutions and most importantly individuals are open to engage with and learn from one another without threatened or belittled. The Chief Justice said it is in this engagement the framework to find mutual solutions. Justice D Y Chandrachud said the Union Cabinet approved phase three of the e-court project with a financial outlay of over rupees 7000 crore rupees which is a perfect example of institutions collaborating to make justice more accessible, affordable, and transparent.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said India is becoming an economic powerhouse in the world. He said in the last decade, under the visionary leadership of PM Modi, we have taken several statutory steps in making new laws, policies, and initiatives which has resulted in India jumping to the 79th position in the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) index.
The theme of the Conference is Emerging Challenges in the Justice Delivery System. The Conference is being organised for the first time by the Bar Council of India. The objective of the Conference is to act as a platform for meaningful dialogue and discussion on various legal topics of national and international importance. It also aims to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences and strengthen international cooperation and understanding of legal issues. Topics such as emerging legal trends, challenges in cross-border litigation, legal technology, and environmental law will be discussed at the Conference.