Indians have great faith in judiciary but focus of judicial system should not be urban-centric: Justice Sanjay Karol

Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Karol on Saturday said that Indians have great faith in Indian justice system but there is also a need to make justice dispensation less urban centric so that it reaches majority of the population..He emphasized on the importance of recognizing the ground reality for the majority of the population, particularly those who lack access to basic necessities. He noted that while sitting in Delhi, it was easy to overlook these harsh realities."People have great faith in Indian justice system. We must also account for the greater part of population which are the have-nots. Sitting here in Delhi, in this great environment, we cannot encompass the harsh ground reality and for them rule of law is about basic necessities," he said.Therefore, he called for a broader perspective to tackle challenging ground realities faced by the majority population in India.The judge was speaking at a panel discussion on the topic Role of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law in Advancing Economic Development, held by the American Bar Association's International Law Section. The panel was moderated by Prof C Raj Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University, and also featured Justices Surya Kant, Bela M Trivedi, and S Ravindra Bhat of the Supreme Court as panellists..During the discussion, Prof Kumar asked the panel,"Ordinary Indians have extraordinary faith in courts. How does this have a direct impact on judiciary dealing with matters which have social and economic ramifications so that they don't become unpopular?".In response, Justice Karol spoke of the judiciary's independence and dedication to working for the welfare of the people in accordance with the Indian Constitution..Justice Karol then highlighted the issue of girls in Bihar dropping out of schools due to the lack of girls' toilets. He also highlighted the struggles of the unorganized sector, saying,"Take the unorganized sector which has truckers etc. No one thinks of them who transport goods from one place to another and they are the backbone of our economic development. We have to shift focus from being just urban centric.".Justice Kant spoke about the Constitution as a historical script that envisages the struggles undertaken for freedom and independence. He emphasized that the judiciary has an enormous responsibility to protect the rights of marginalized groups and to uphold the right to equality and liberty. He also discussed how a fundamental rights-sensitive approach helps bring legislative reforms and better implements the Constitutional vision. .Justice S Ravindra Bhat, another panelist, discussed how the judiciary is the upholder of the rule of law. He explained that when the courts deal with social welfare objects, they take the object of the act into consideration, whereas, in the case of economic objectives, the objective of the authority is considered. He also discussed how the court maintains deference to policy decisions in fiscal or economic policies of the state, unless they are palpably discriminatory..Justice Bela Trivedi discussed the difference between economic growth and economic development. She also discussed how India has become a liberal economy with a strong regulatory regime, and the judiciary has been significantly progressive and consistent throughout..Truth has become victim of false news; people have become low on tolerance: CJI DY Chandrachud on flipside of technology