New Delhi, March 6: Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday said the importance of criminal laws in society should not be undermined and hoped young lawyers would join criminal litigation as a first choice.
CJI Khanna was speaking at the launch of “Ratanlal & Dhirajlal’s Law of Crimes: A comprehensive commentary on Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023” edited by former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit.
The event was organised in the Delhi High Court’s auditorium in the presence of the former CJI, Minister of State (independent charge) Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, attorney general R Venkataramani and other judges of the Supreme Court and the high court.
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CJI Khanna said when it comes to dealing with arrests and detentions, criminal law directly impacts individual liberty, social harmony and the fundamental balance between state power and personal liberty.
“When I look at law students, new entrants, many of them do not want to take up criminal practice. The fact of the matter is, most of the litigation in district courts is criminal litigation.. We should not therefore ignore the importance of criminal law and I hope and trust that many youngsters including lawyers will gradually join criminal law as the first choice and rather than a second or compulsion,” he said.
CJI Khanna said the legal system has embraced an evidence based approach in criminal law and criminal jurisprudence in future would not rely upon untested assertions about behaviour and social dynamics.
“It will increasingly rely upon data. Data exists, data speaks. Analytical tools exist. What we need to do it let evidence drive the criminal law forward,” he shared.
Lalit spoke on the “levels of screening” that the book went through before it was “okayed” and said, “This is my first attempt but may not strictly be the last one. This has been something which was very very dear to me.”
Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya shared his thoughts on the enactment of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and said it could not have come at a more critical time.
Justice must be accessible, efficient and sensitive to the needs of the evolving society, he said.
“Our criminal justice system long needed simplification, modernisation and a framework that understands the lived realities of our citizens, especially the vulnerable who interact with the system under challenging circumstances,” Upadhyaya added. (PTI)
