Jammu, June 28: Dr. Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India laid foundation stone for the new High Court complex of J&K and Ladakh at Raika, in presence of Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.) andJudges of Supreme Court and High Court.

Document Management System (DMS) for High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and National Service and Tracking of Electronic Process (N-STEP) for District Courts were also launched.

Dr. Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India, in his address described the Judicial Officers as front line warriors and exhorted them to live up to the expectations of the common man who is seeking justice.

“It is our endeavour that every section of the society, poor or underprivileged have access to Justice. The foundation of new High Court complex and the newly launched IT initiatives are pioneer steps in bringing reforms in the Justice delivery system,” he said.

He also stressed for encouraging productive participation of women in delivery of Justice.

Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha congratulated all the members of the Judiciary, legal fraternity and expressed gratitude to the Government of India for its support for the mega project.

“The new High Court complex of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will be an integrated complex with state-of-the-art physical infrastructure and modern amenities,” he said.

The Lt Governor lauded the e-Committee of Supreme Court and Department of Law and Justice for their efforts to use future technologies such as artificial intelligence for seamless and efficient justice delivery systems in courts.

“Million of hits to e-Court Services every day reflect citizen-centric efforts, ease of justice and digital empowerment,” the Lt Governor said.

“75 years journey of India’s independence is witness to democratic institutions fulfilling hope and aspiration of common citizens. Our Constitution as guiding light has ensured prosperity, socio-economic progress and dignity for all,” he added.

The Lt Governor said the two important IT initiatives for the High Court and all District Courts launched today will make legal system inclusive and accessible to all.

The Lt Governor highlighted various initiatives taken recently in J&K for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) enablement of courts.

The Lt Governor also shared the IT initiatives of the UT Government to make the governance process transparent, accountable and responsive.

Brig.(Dr.) B. D. Mishra (Retd.), Lt Governor, UT of Ladakh gave a detailed discourse on fundamental duties and highlighted that democracy has to be defended by ensuring that the tenet of justice is upheld.

Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union MoS for Law and Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, who joined through virtual mode, expressed hope that the DMS and N-STEP facilities would be milestones in the technology sector and would accelerate the pace of development and progress. He assured all possible financial support and adequate budget to the Government of J&K for the Judicial infrastructural development.

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge, Supreme Court of India; Hon’ble Mr. Justice Pankaj Mithal, Judge Supreme Court of India and Hon’ble Mr. Justice N. Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice, High Court of J&K and Ladakh also spoke on the occasion.

An overview on the functionality of DMS was displayed by a video presentation and the Mobile Phones for N-STEP Application were distributed to the Process Servers to mark the launch of the initiative.

The girl students of Louis Braille Memorial Residential School presented the Saraswati Vandana.

Hon’ble Judges of Supreme Court of India and High Court of J&K and Ladakh; members of Judiciary and legal fraternity, senior officials of Police and Civil administration were also present.