CJI DY Chandrachud Urges Premier Investigating Agencies to Prioritize Crimes and Economic Offences Against the Nation

CJI DY Chandrachud Urges Premier Investigating Agencies to Prioritize Crimes and Economic Offences: DY Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), on Monday urged India's premier investigative agencies to focus on national security and economic crimes.

According to DY Chandrachud, our premier investigative agencies have been spread too thin. They should only focus on crimes affecting national security and economic crimes against the nation.

As he joked, lawyers, however, welcomed the increased scope of the CBI's cases: "The CBI is increasingly being asked to investigate a wide variety of criminal cases beyond its original anti-corruption role." Through various judgments, the courts have strengthened the institution. The legal profession should be happy about it (expanded purview), as it has enabled members of the Bar to earn more income.

According to Chief Justice Chandrachud, a "delicate balance" must be struck between the authority of investigative agencies to search and seize and the right of an individual to privacy.

A fair and just society hinges on the delicate balance between search and seizure powers and individual privacy rights, he said.

During his speech, he stressed that the speedy resolution of cases being investigated by the CBI is crucial: "The accused are charged with serious violations of the law, and their life and reputation are altered and hurt. Delays become an impediment in justice delivery...A multi-pronged strategy is needed to tackle slow disposal of CBI cases so that their pendency does not translate to guilt."

A balance must be struck between investigative imperatives and individual privacy rights, said Chief Justice Chandrachud.

According to him, technology is changing the way crime is conceptualized and investigated. "Firstly, violators of the law now have the ability to global networks through technology and do not have to perform in individual silos. Crime itself may no longer have a site, in the digital sphere. Digital analytics and manipulation are not tethered to a scene of crime. Acts are now more numerous than one swoop and have to be seen in the totality of the violation."

In this regard, he urged the country to rethink its investigative frameworks and form multidisciplinary teams of law enforcement officers and domain experts.

Chandrachud called AI a "game-changer" in criminal justice but cautioned against misuse.

"Potential leads and data can be mined with unprecedented accuracy. AI aids in de-complicating crimes. However, it is not free of prejudice and bias, and it may lead to community-based profiling of marginalized groups as having a greater likelihood of indulging in crimes. This might lead to targeting and raise questions of data privacy," he said.

Chief Justice of India calls for enhanced crime detection, investigation, and prosecution.

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