New Delhi: A “disproportionate” burden of cases before Supreme Court is taken off by Delhi high court, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said Friday, speaking at the inaugural event of the celebration of the HC’s 60 years.Explaining how the apex court has always maintained a “special relationship” with Delhi HC, the CJI said it is not because they are practically physical neighbours, but because it takes off a disproportionate burden of the apex court as compared to other high courts.“Many times, when a matter is mentioned before us, we find ourselves reminding the counsel that the high court is just around the corner, and that relief may well await them there before their matter even reaches our board,” he added.The CJI also highlighted the challenges the judiciary is now confronted with, which were scarcely imaginable a decade ago, such as whether a work generated by artificial intelligence can claim copyright protection, how law should respond to deepfakes and how innovation may be encouraged without letting technology undermine individual rights.Where law is silent, Constitution must guide the judiciary as “Its promise of dignity, liberty and equality does not change with technology, and every new question must be answered in that light,” CJI Kant said.He appreciated the working efficiency of Delhi HC judges, advocates and the initiatives it took, specifically in the field of intellectual property and in establishing the country’s first court-annexed arbitration centre.Justice Vikram Nath, SC’s senior-most judge, praised Delhi HC for its contribution to the development of law and its institutional growth over the past six decades. In a lighter vein, he said its judges sometimes appear to be “more powerful than judges of Supreme Court”.Also present were Justices Manmohan, D K Upadhyaya and Sanjeev Sachdeva, all former Delhi HC judges who are now in the apex court.
