CJI unveils museum chronicling judicial history
Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Thursday inaugurated the National Judicial Museum and Archive (NJMA) at the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Thursday inaugurated the National Judicial Museum and Archive (NJMA) at the Supreme Court, which serves as a gateway into the history behind Indian judicial institutions.
Spanning three floors, NJMA, which has been set up where the Old Judges Library used to function, is a unique space dedicated to the nation’s journey towards justice as it not only offers a broad overview of the court’s past but also captures the essence of their judicial institutional histories.
The first floor gives the visitors a digital and pictorial overview of the judicial system of ancient, medieval and British India. Along with that, the first floor houses artifacts belonging to 19th, 20th and 21st century, including a cap of the privy counsellor of the Madhya Pradesh high court, a decommissioned smith corona vintage silent typewriter crafted in the US in 1939 that served the federal court in New Delhi, and a judges chair of the Federal Court of India in New Delhi.
The artifacts also include wigs belonging to justice Dinshaw Davar of the Bombay high court and justice SK Das of the Patna high court, a set of commemorative coins , the chief justice’s mace from the Madras high court, ceremonial gavel presented to chief justice YK Sabharwal by the Asia Pacific Jurist Association, oars made of silver used in Admiralty jurisdiction at the Madras high court, and 20th and 21st century judges chair in the Supreme Court.
The second floor has various walls dedicated to the functionaries who have played a crucial role in the justice delivery mechanism. This includes the various judges who served the Supreme Court since its inception in 1950, women SC justices, legal luminaries who redefined law, and Presidents who administered oath to CJIs.
The third floor, which is still under construction, currently has walls dedicated to the routes by which the citizens can knock the doors of Supreme Court for redressal of their grievance, use of technology in Supreme Court. It also provides an overview of high courts across India.
CJI Chandrachud, who has always been a staunch proponent of artificial intelligence (AI) and has advocated the use of the technology in ‘delivering justice’ as well has ensured that the NJMA has its touch. While, the first floor has holographic projection of the founding father of the Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar that would interact with visitors with immersive storytelling, the second floor has AI lawyer Vidhik that brings not only brings Supreme Court cases to life but also answers all the questions related to the country’s top court.
NJMA, conceptualized over a year and a half, is also a fully accessible place for persons with disabilities as braille guides and sign language interpreters are available throughout.
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