New Delhi, Feb 04: President Droupadi Murmu presided over the valedictory ceremony of the Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitors General Conference (CAGSC’24) in New Delhi today. The event, attended by esteemed dignitaries, was address by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah.
Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Suryakant, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General of India, Dr. R. Venkataramani, Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, and Chairman of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association, Dr. S Shivakumar, were among the distinguished guests present.
In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah emphasised the evolving nature of global interactions where geographical boundaries are becoming less significant for both trade and crime. He stressed the need for a new system and tradition to address trade disputes and crime on a borderless scale.
“Trade and crime are both becoming borderless and at such times, to deal with trade disputes and crime in a borderless manner, we will have to start some new system and tradition,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of justice in the lives of common people, Amit Shah commended President Droupadi Murmu’s journey from a remote and underprivileged area to becoming the President of India, citing it as a testament to the deep-rooted democracy and spirit of the Constitution in India.
Shah underscored the borderless nature of crime in today’s interconnected world, ranging from small cyber frauds to global organised crime. He emphasised the deepening connection between local and cross-border disputes, urging the strengthening of law enforcement agencies to control crime and facilitate international trade.
Referring to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Act, he said after the implementation of these three new laws, India will have the world’s most modern criminal justice systems.
The three laws will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively.
The home minister said the government has worked on a model that justice should essentially have three As — accessible, affordable and accountable.
He said the scope of the conference is not limited only to courts, but it is related to the Commonwealth countries and in a way, the common people of the entire world.
Shah said the Constitution of every country has justice and rights as a common factor and it is the judicial system that does the work of realising those concepts on the ground and delivering justice to the last person. “From local disputes to cross-border disputes, the connection is becoming deeper. The entire process from small theft to hacking the banking system and data is complete and the connection of international terrorism with local crime is also becoming deeper,” the home minister said.
The home minister stressed the need to increase the use of technology to the extent that it will be possible to incorporate all the changes that will take place in technology in the next 100 years.
He said due to the changing scenario, the judiciary will also have to change and in view of cross-border cases, the use of technology will have to be adopted in the entire process of justice.
“We cannot deliver justice in the 21st century with laws of the 19th century,” Shah said, citing the three new laws that were enacted taking into account the advancement of technology.
He said one can benefit a lot from an artificial intelligence-based translation process in the judicial system. “We can make great use of AI in understanding the nuances of the legal system and cases,” Shah said.
The Minister acknowledged the progress made in areas such as exchange rate fluctuations, trade protection treaties, and international standards. However, he emphasised the necessity of further collaboration to address the challenges posed by contemporary global crime.
Amit Shah outlined the imperative for cooperation and coordination in today’s technological era, emphasising their role as key mantras for ensuring justice delivery. He called for a shift in perspective, viewing borders as meeting points rather than obstacles in justice delivery.
The Minister urged the Attorneys and Solicitor Generals of Commonwealth countries to share actionable points from the conference with their respective law-making agencies, contributing to shaping global legal order and ensuring the conference’s success.
