CJI calls for national judicial policy to reduce divergence

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday (November 26, 2025) pushed for a uniform and national judicial policy to reinforce predictability in judicial approach among the Supreme Court and the State High Courts.

“It is high time we minimise unpredictability and avoidable divergence that may arise simply because there are 25 High Courts or multiple Benches of the Supreme Court. Justice cannot resemble a set of instruments producing harmonious notes in isolation but discordant sounds when played together. Instead, we must strive for a judicial symphony — one rhythm, expressed in many voices and languages, but guided by a common constitutional score,” Chief Justice Kant said in his Constitution Day address at the Supreme Court.

The CJI said a uniform judicial policy would encourage coherence across jurisdictions and bring more clarity and consistency in the decisions of the various constitutional courts on seminal questions of law.

Chief Justice Kant said a close look at the functioning of the justice delivery system still showed a “disquieting gap” between the Constitutional vision and the experiences of the multitude, particularly the marginalised sections of society, for whom access to justice remains elusive due to exorbitant cost, language, distance, and delay.

“These barriers weaken the very overarching goal we seek to protect and, in doing so, magnify existing inequalities… First step to access to justice: the first step in that direction must be through the augmentation of judicial infrastructure in aid of effective justice delivery,” the CJI said.

The CJI highlighted the modern dispute resolution process of mediation as a cost-effective, participatory, and deeply humane alternative.