New Dehli : Speaking at the inaugural function of the International Judicial Conference 2020 – ‘judiciary and the changing world’ at the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister referred to gender justice and said no country or society in the world can claim to achieve holistic development without it.

The PM hailed the Indian judiciary for redefining environmental jurisprudence to strike a balance between development and ecological protection.

He referred to laws on transgenders, ‘triple talaq’ and on the rights of ‘Divyang’ (persons with disabilities) and said the government has also taken steps to give rights to women in military services and in providing paid maternity leave for 26 weeks to women.

Referring to recent judicial verdicts by Indian courts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said 1.3 billion Indians have “wholeheartedly” accepted them despite there being several apprehensions expressed about the consequences.

Referring to the use of technology, Modi said it can help in procedural management of courts and benefit the justice delivery system to a large extent.

“In addition, in the changing times, issues like data protection, cyber-crime pose new challenges for the judiciary,” he said.

Speaking at the occasion, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde said India is a “melting pot of cultures” and has assimilated cultures of Mughals, Dutch, Portuguese and English.

“Constitution has created a strong and independent judiciary and we have strived to keep this basic feature intact,” the CJI said.

Prasad said governance must be left to elected representatives and delivering judgements should be left to judges.