As the judiciary expands its physical and digital footprint through projects such as the upcoming Tower of Justice in Gurugram, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant has outlined a broader vision of judicial reform—one in which world-class infrastructure, technology and constitutional values converge to make justice more accessible, efficient and humane.In an interaction ahead of the inauguration, the CJI said modern judicial infrastructure and access to justice were not competing priorities, but complementary pillars of an effective justice delivery system.“A court building has meaning when it helps reduce the distance between the citizen and justice. Infrastructure is essential because it creates the conditions for efficient functioning, better case management and dignified access to courts. At the same time, the real test is whether the ordinary litigant feels heard, respected and treated with fairness.”Justice Surya Kant said the objective of judicial modernisation extended well beyond creating world-class court complexes or introducing cutting-edge technology. According to him, every reform initiative must ultimately strengthen public confidence in the justice delivery system and reinforce the constitutional promise that justice remains accessible to every citizen.The CJI said investments in modern court complexes, digital facilities, integrated record-management systems and technology-enabled processes could significantly enhance the judiciary’s ability to deliver timely and effective justice. At the same time, he maintained that infrastructure derived its true value only when it improved the experience of litigants and enabled judges and court staff to function more efficiently.Speaking about the judiciary’s continuing digital transformation, Justice Surya Kant said technology should not be viewed merely as an administrative convenience.“Technology has become a constitutional instrument. It can improve transparency, accessibility and efficiency, but it cannot replace judicial conscience. The responsibility of ensuring fairness will always remain with human judges.”He said technology and artificial intelligence had the potential to substantially augment judicial administration by improving efficiency, transparency and accessibility. However, he emphasised that the legitimacy of the justice delivery system would always rest on human judgment, constitutional conscience and the confidence reposed by citizens in the courts.Referring to the judiciary’s ongoing digital transformation, the CJI said initiatives under the e-Courts programme—including electronic filing, virtual hearings, digital records and technology-enabled case management—were intended to make courts more accessible and efficient without diluting the human element of adjudication.Justice Surya Kant also linked judicial reform with the broader constitutional guarantee of equality before the law. He said the objective was not merely to improve disposal rates, but to ensure that financial, social or procedural disadvantages never became obstacles to justice.“No citizen should feel that justice is beyond reach because of financial, social or procedural barriers. The legal system must be approachable, compassionate and inclusive.”He said access to justice could not be viewed merely as an administrative objective but as an essential component of the rule of law, requiring judicial institutions to remain responsive to the needs of the weakest and most vulnerable sections of society. In his view, the success of institutional reforms would ultimately be measured not by the sophistication of infrastructure alone, but by the confidence they inspired among citizens seeking justice.The CJI asserted infrastructure alone could not resolve every systemic challenge. At the same time, adequate courtrooms, robust digital facilities and coordinated administrative support were indispensable for improving judicial efficiency.“Better infrastructure enables judges and court staff to function more effectively. It is an investment in the quality and speed of justice delivery.”Justice Surya Kant said judicial reforms must continually balance efficiency with fairness so that the pursuit of faster disposal never came at the cost of reasoned adjudication or procedural justice. Modernisation, he said, must strengthen the institutional capacity of courts while preserving their constitutional character.When asked about his vision for the judiciary over the coming decade, Justice Surya Kant said: “The goal is a judiciary that is modern yet humane, technologically advanced yet constitutionally grounded, and efficient yet deeply sensitive to the human realities behind every case.”He said judicial modernisation was not confined to constructing better court buildings or deploying newer technologies. The larger endeavour, he said, was to build institutions that remained efficient without becoming mechanical, technologically advanced without losing their human character, and firmly anchored in the constitutional promise of accessible, fair and compassionate justice.Tower of Justice to be inaugurated in Gurugram on JattvibedayThe newly constructed Tower of Justice (New Judicial Courts Complex) at Gurugram will be inaugurated on Jattvibeday, July 12, by CJI Justice Surya Kant in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.Gurugram District and Sessions Judge Narender Sura said the function will also be attended by Judges of the Supreme Court; Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra; Companion Judges of the High Court; Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Chairman, Building Committee (Haryana), Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi; and Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Administrative Judge, Gurugram Sessions Division, Justice Rohit Kapoor.Union Cabinet Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Ministers of State Arjun Ram Meghwal and Rao Inderjit Singh will also attend the event. Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh, IAS, will also be present.The new judicial complex is expected to significantly augment court infrastructure and strengthen the delivery of justice in Gurugram.