New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Friday said that in the age of fake news, truth ‘victims’ And with the proliferation of social media, the situation has become such that sometimes what is said or heard can never be verified on logical grounds.
The CJI said, “We live in an era where people lack patience and tolerance, as they are not willing to accept a point of view that is different from their own.” Justice Chandrachud was here at the ‘American Bar Association India Conference In 2023, ‘Law in the Age of Globalization: Convergence of India and West Speaking on the subject.
The CJI spoke on various issues including technology and its use by the judiciary, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, issues facing the judicial profession, and more women judges.
He said, “Truth has become a victim in the era of fake news. With the spread of social media, what is said to be a seed has literally sprouted into an entire theory that can never be tested by rational science.” Justice Chandrachud said that the Indian Constitution is a prime example of globalization and it is “before we entered the era of globalization”.
He said that when the Constitution was drafted, its framers probably had no idea in which direction humanity would evolve.
He said, “We didn’t have the idea of privacy because there was no internet then. We certainly didn’t have social media.” The CJI said that as a judge “we are no exception to the things you do. You face the danger of being trolled by someone who doesn’t share your point of view.”
Justice Chandrachud said that during COVID-19 the Indian Judiciary did a good job of introducing video conferences and then extended it to all courts. He said that the video conference introduced due to the pandemic has led to the decentralization of justice and “I think this decentralization of justice is an important paradigm to increase the reach of justice.”
