Public Trust Is Judiciary’s Only True Currency: CJI Surya Kant

Public trust is the judiciary’s only true currency, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant said. He stressed that even a person who loses a case should leave the court believing that the judicial process treated them fairly. A person should not lose faith in the judiciary merely because the verdict was not what they expected, he said. However, if people feel that they were treated unfairly during the proceedings, confidence in the justice system can be undermined. Justice Kant made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the 6th Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on ‘Justice Seen to Be Done: Transparency and Public Trust as Pillars of the Legal System’.

Justice Surya Kant also stressed that the judiciary cannot place itself beyond scrutiny and criticism. He said fair, informed and constructive criticism of judicial functioning is a legitimate and necessary feature of a vibrant constitutional democracy. Such criticism, he noted, strengthens institutional accountability and contributes to self-correction within the judiciary. Referring to the Supreme Court’s suo motu proceedings concerning an NCERT textbook, the CJI reiterated that the judiciary is not averse to criticism and must remain open to examination, questioning and, where necessary, criticism.