CJI: Single system of laws needed to save environment

NEW DELHI: With the world grappling with climate change and other environment problems, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde on Sunday suggested a single law for all countries to effectively deal with the issue and said it was a major challenge which is not confined to a national boundary.
“Environmental issues cannot be hindered by national and international borders.Water and wind flow seamlessly across the earth and even under it. The growth of vegetation affects animals and man. Perhaps, there is the greatest need for a single system of laws in this regard. It is said that human beings are seeds as well as parasites to the earth. We take much more than we give back to the earth. As Richard Rogers said, the only way forward to improve the quality of environment is to get everybody involved,” Justice Bobde said.
Addressing an international judicial conference organised by the Supreme Court in which judges and jurists from 24 countries are participating, the CJI said judiciary was the guardian of constitutional values and served to counter-balance populist forces in commitment to rule of law.
He said justice delivery had not been untouched by the forces of globalisation with the vast majority of lawyers and judges educated in more than one country and emphasised the need to have broader international dialogue among members of the judiciary from various countries.
“This globalisation of the bar has been accompanied by globalisation of the bench. Increasingly confronted with transnational challenges, judges regularly reach beyond their borders to inspect the jurisprudence of other countries to discern valuable principles. Recently, judgments and opinions of the Indian Supreme Court were cited by over four jurisdictions across the world. Our own judgments look to the wisdom of our international colleagues. Yet, a judge never loses sight of the need to tailor judicial decisions to the social realities of their own country,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind praised the SC for being “proactive and progressive” in ensuring gender justice and protecting the environment. He said the apex court had always played a pivotal role in protecting the rights of women, whether by passing the Vishakha verdict in 1997 to lay down guidelines against sexual harassment in the workplace and recently by allowing permanent commission and command postings to women in the Army. He said gender justice must remain high on the global agenda.
He said the apex court deserved praise for providing judgments in nine vernacular languages and also appreciated steps taken by the judiciary towards a paperless court.
“The SC also deserves admiration for carrying out many radical reforms that made justice more accessible to common people. Landmark judgments passed by this court have strengthened the legal and constitutional framework of our country,” Kovind said.
The CJI emphasised the need to use artificial intelligence to automate simple tasks associated with administration of justice.