Case Explained: CJI Surya Kant flags cyber crime challenge, calls for National Legal Academy for lawyers – Legal Perspective

PANAJI: Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant raised serious concerns over the legal profession’s preparedness to deal with rapidly evolving cyber crimes, saying traditional legal training is no longer sufficient to meet modern challenges.

Drawing a parallel with judicial training, Justice Kant proposed the establishment of a National Legal Academy for advocates, similar to the National Judicial Academy for judges. 

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Bar Council of India’s National Conference and Symposium on Mediation at the India International University of Legal Education and Research in South Goa today, the CJI said technology, while assisting legal professionals, has also given rise to entirely new forms of crime.

“Technology is helping professionals, including legal professionals, but at the same time, it is leading to new kinds of crimes. Cybercrimes that were previously unheard of are emerging, and criminals are constantly innovating new methods. The challenges will only become larger and more serious in the days to come,” Justice Kant said.

Referring to cases such as “digital arrest” and other cyber frauds, he questioned whether members of the Bar are adequately equipped to advise and represent victims of such crimes.

“When you deal with a victim of a cyber crime, are you professionally equipped to handle that challenge? This is something I have been seriously thinking about these days,” he noted.

Justice Kant pointed out that advocates today are increasingly required to play multiple roles, not just as legal representatives but also as advisors and informal mediators.

“You are an advocate, you are an advisor to your litigant, and sometimes you also become partially a mediator by helping bring parties closer to dispute resolution. That itself is a part of your professional training,” he said.

However, he stressed that short-term training programmes are inadequate to prepare lawyers for complex, technology-driven disputes.

“This kind of training cannot be a 24-hour or 48-hour capsule programme. It requires rigorous training over a couple of months, in a dedicated academy, with domain experts and high-level technocrats teaching how to deal with cyber crimes and emerging challenges,” the CJI said.

“Just as we have a National Judicial Academy for judicial officers, the time has come to think of a national-level academy for members of the Bar for periodic and structured training,” he said.

He urged Bar Councils to evolve a long-term vision and institutional framework to future-proof the legal profession.

“Without structured assistance and expert-led training modules, it will become difficult, if not impossible, for members of the Bar to deal with the challenges their clients will face in the near future,” Justice Kant warned.

He added that such professional training would also enable Indian lawyers to compete effectively with international and cross-border practitioners on global legal platforms.

“These trainings will equip members of the Bar to stand shoulder to shoulder with lawyers from other jurisdictions in international disputes,” the CJI said.