Neutral citation system

Context: Recently, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud announced that the Supreme Court will adopt a “neutral citation system” for its judgments.

About the Neutral citation system :

• A case citation is an identification tag for a judgment that would contain a reference number, the year of the judgment, the name of the court that delivered that judgment, and a shorthand for the journal publishing the judgment.
• A neutral citation means that the court would assign its own citation — distinct from those given by traditional Law Reporters.
  • For example: in the All-India Reporter (AIR), the citation is AIR 1973 SC 1461

Significance of a Neutral citation :

• With artificial intelligence (AI) enabling the translation of judgments and transcribing of court proceedings, a uniform citation is necessary.
• To ease the adjudicatory process.
• To avoid confusion arising out of one case being cited by different people in a number of different ways.
• Several High Courts including Delhi High Court have started a neutral citation format.

Implementation :

• All 30,000 judgments are going to have neutral citations.
• The first tranche will be till January 1, 2023, then the other tranche will be till judgments from 2014 and then finally it will go back to 1950.

Source: THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Previous Year Questions

Q.1) With reference to India, consider the following statements: (2022)

1. Government law officers and legal firms are recognized as advocates, but corporate lawyers and patent attorneys are excluded from recognition as advocates.
2. Bar Councils have the power to lay down the rules relating to legal education and recognition of law colleges.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q.2) With reference to Indian Judiciary, consider the following statements. (2021)

1. Any retired judge of the Supreme Court of India can be called back to sit by the Chief Justice of India with the prior permission of the President of India.
2. A High court in India has the power to review its own judgment as the Supreme Court does.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2