Overview
At the foundation‑stone ceremony of the new Family Court Complex in Rohini, New Delhi, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant urged a visual and semantic shift in family justice. He suggested that judges and lawyers abandon the traditional black robes in Family Courts to prevent intimidation of children, and rename them as Family Resolution Centres.
Key Developments
- Judge and lawyer attire in family matters to be reconsidered, dropping the black robe.
- Proposal to rename Family Courts as ‘Family Resolution Centres’.
- Calls for faster disposal of family disputes and expansion of court infrastructure.
- Highlighting judges’ workload, infrastructural gaps, and the need for humane, emotion‑sensitive adjudication.
Important Facts
The event was attended by senior members of the judiciary, including Supreme Court judges and the Delhi High Court. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was also present.
Key judicial remarks:
- CJI Surya Kant warned that black robes create a “fear psychosis” in children.
- Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya stressed the need for speedy disposal and more courts.
- Justice Manmohan highlighted infrastructural deficiencies as a bottleneck to access to justice.
- Justice Sanjeev Narula cautioned against the hidden costs of heavy cause lists and long working hours on judges.
- Justice V. Kameswar Rao reiterated ongoing efforts to reduce delays.
Exam Relevance
The proposal touches upon several GS topics:
- Judicial reforms – attire and nomenclature changes reflect a move towards a more child‑friendly, restorative justice model, aligning with the access‑to‑justice agenda.
- Family law – understanding the jurisdiction of Family Courts is essential for GS2 questions on personal laws and social welfare.
- Administrative efficiency – the call for more courts and better infrastructure links to governance and public administration themes in GS1 and GS2.
- Ethical considerations – the emphasis on reducing fear in children aligns with the ethics of empathy and humane administration (GS4: Ethics).
Way Forward
To translate the CJI’s suggestions into policy, the following steps are recommended:
- Convene a committee of the Supreme Court and state governments to draft guidelines on courtroom attire for family matters.
- Amend the Family Courts Act to incorporate the term ‘Family Resolution Centres’ and broaden mediation provisions.
- Allocate dedicated budget for infrastructure upgrades, ensuring child‑friendly spaces, counseling rooms, and technology‑enabled case management.
- Introduce training modules for judges and lawyers on child psychology, mediation techniques, and trauma‑informed practice.
- Monitor implementation through periodic reports to the National Judicial Data Grid.
Adopting these measures can reduce the emotional trauma of litigation for children, improve the efficiency of family dispute resolution, and reinforce the judiciary’s commitment to a humane, rights‑based approach.