At the 20th DP Kohli Memorial Lecture, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, Dr. DY Chandrachud delivered a lecture to highlight the significant role played by technology in advancing India’s criminal justice system. 

The expansion of CBI’s ambit in respect of jurisdiction was emphasised by the CJI. The scope of the CBI to investigate cases now encompass economic frauds, bank scams, financial irregularities and terrorism related incidents. In today’s digitally connected world, agencies are faced with complex issues in relation to interconnection of technology and law. 

He emphasised on how the agencies are faced with the daunting task of solving complex crimes, more so, because in light of globalisation, the nature of crime has become such that it requires coordination and collaboration with counterparts abroad. 

The CJI remarked that the CBI can be upgraded by reassessing the challenges of our changing times and by making structural reforms in the CBI. 

He stated that,

“From issues of jurisdiction and privacy to questions of accountability and transparency, the integration of technology into our criminal justice system requires careful consideration of the ethical, legal, and societal implications at play.” 

While there is a need to adopt a dynamic and flexible approach to integrate technology within the criminal justice system, a balance has to be maintained in the other hand, keeping in mind, due process of law. 

The need of the hour as underscored by the CJI is to recognize the complexity of CBI prosecutions and how by leveraging technology, such delays can be avoided.

He suggested a  multipronged approach which would take care of the delayed justice delivery. Some other suggestions included allowing witnesses to appear virtually, videography of relevant investigation procedures, designing of a mobile application to suggest predefined timelines for trial etc. 

The CJI concluded the lecture by emphasising the role that Artificial Intelligence could play in simplifying the crimes by breaking down intricate cases into manageable components for analysis and resolution. 

The CJI also advocated for the responsible use of technology. For harnessing the power of technology, it is important to have robust safeguards in place to protect individual rights such as right to privacy and ethical considerations to prevent bias. 

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