RANCHI: Supreme Court judge Surya Kant said that High Courts must respond to injustice with the speed and precision of a hospital emergency ward.
Speaking at the Jharkhand High Court’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in Ranchi, he called for a judicial system equipped to act instantly when a crisis arises, much like medical teams that cannot afford delay when their lives are at stake.
According to Justice Surya Kant, the judiciary must embrace rapid, coordinated and technology-enabled responses to ensure timely justice.
Justice Surya Kant believes that High Courts should envision their institutional development in the same way that a modern hospital designs its emergency services, with structures capable of responding promptly, decisively and accurately in times of crisis.
"Our courts must aspire to the same level of preparedness, efficiency and coordinated response," he said.
Justice Surya Kant further added, “Only with such foresight the judiciary continue to provide timely and effective solutions addressing every challenge with the speed and clarity that a constitutional democracy demands.”
"These are not merely administrative considerations; they are the next step in the evolution of access to justice," he added.
Surya Kant said High Courts have the power and responsibility to act as engines of social transformation.
Their wide jurisdiction, constitutional authority and closeness to the people allow them to shape legal development in ways that directly touch citizens’ lives.
"High Courts are the highest principles of justice that meet the lived realities of ordinary people, making them vital institutions for legal and social reform," he said.
He also highlighted that High Courts’ powers under Article 226 are wider than the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction under Article 32; High Courts can protect fundamental rights as well as other legal rights.
"This broad authority, combined with their accessibility, makes High Courts essential to ensuring that legal protection is neither distant nor delayed," he said.
Calling the High Courts the backbone of constitutional justice, Surya Kant said they transform abstract rights into meaningful relief that reflects local realities.
"Their judgments, shaped by regional context and cultural understanding, give justice a “human touch” and allow courts to push social change that is both inclusive and grounded in experience," he said.
Referring to the achievements of the Jharkhand High Court, he described its twenty-five-year journey as one marked by resilience, innovation and a deep commitment to constitutional values.
He highlighted the Court's landmark decisions protecting tribal rights, the dignity of workers, environmental resources and the principles of intergenerational equity in mineral extraction.
Justice Surya Kant commended the High Court's emphasis on technological reforms, calling them essential for improving access to justice. In a separate programme, speaking at the 150th birth anniversary celebration at Ulihatu, the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that Jharkhand must follow the path shown by Dharti Aba Birsa Munda, calling him the hero whose struggle and sacrifice led to the creation of the State.
The Chief Minister said that many heroes sacrificed their lives for the formation of Jharkhand, and their contribution still guides the State today.
He expressed that the state feels the silence and loss that a family feels after losing an elder member of the family, following the demise of Dishom Guru, Shibu Soren.
Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram also joined the Chief Minister at the ceremony held at the Birsa Munda Complex in Ulihati.