STATE TIMES NEWS
CHENNAI: Every rupee spent on improving court halls, digitisation, training, and connectivity yields a manifold return — not in monetary profits, but in public confidence, said Supreme Court judge, Justice Surya Kant, on Sunday.
Justice Kant, next in line to become the Chief Justice of India, inaugurated the renovated Madras High Court annexe building in Chennai.
A heritage building, built 126 years ago, is now being repurposed as an annexe to the Madras High Court. The building once housed Madras Law College.
According to Justice Kant, this kind of investment must be seen as an investment in public trust.
“The justice system is one of the few public institutions where the slightest dysfunction directly affects human liberty and livelihood,” added Justice Kant.
The integration of the heritage building with the High Court is also an architectural metaphor, he observed.
“The past and the future coalesce under one roof. The red sandstone walls, once echoing with academic discourse, will now reverberate with judicial reasoning. The same energy that inspired students will guide judges, advocates, and litigants alike. It reminds us that the ideals of justice — truth, fairness, and equality — are timeless even as their institutional forms evolve,” said Justice Kant.
Recalling his early days as a Judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, “Where the files were often stacked higher than the tables, the ceiling fans wobbled dangerously above, and the pages of the handwritten registers yellowed quickly with time”, the judge said while justice depends on human integrity, it thrives on institutional support.
“A judiciary that functions in dignity guarantees citizens their fundamental right to justice. It ensures that justice is not an accident of geography but a promise fulfilled uniformly across the land,” concluded the judge.
Speaking at the event, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (independent charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal drew attention to the initiatives being taken by the central government.
He said digitisation and expansion of infrastructure and transparency in judicial processes would make the judicial system more robust, transparent and accessible to people.
The event was attended by Supreme Court judge, Justice R Mahadevan; Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava; Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Reghupathy; Justice R Suresh Kumar, senior most judge of the Madras High Court; Advocate General P S Raman, and Additional Solicitor General A R L Sundaresan.
Supreme Court judge Justice M M Sundresh participated virtually from Barcelona.
The heritage building was renovated at a cost of Rs 23.13 crore and it took three years for the work, which began on September 4, 2022, to be completed.