{
  "id": 13360694,
  "title": "CJI Surya Kant forms panel to address mental, physical well-being of judicial officers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/cji-surya-kant-forms-panel-to-address-mental-physical-well-being-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-10T07:49:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cji-surya-kant-forms-panel-to-address-mental-physical-well-being-of-judicial-officers-101791618594305.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has established a committee to tackle the mental and physical health of judicial officers nationwide, in alignment with World Mental Health Day. The Standing Committee on Judicial Well-Being, led by Supreme Court judge Justice KV Viswanathan, will comprise four additional members, including medical professionals. Their mission is to aid judicial officers facing overwhelming caseloads, extended work hours, intricate decision-making, administrative stress, and emotionally taxing cases.\n\nThe committee members are Savita Malhotra, a former dean and professor at PGIMER, Chandigarh; Rajat Mitra, psychologist and co-founder of Swanchetan Society for Mental Health; advocate Mrinal Kanwar; and Aarti Singh, registrar at the Supreme Court’s Centre for Research and Planning. The CJI's release emphasized that this move is a crucial step in acknowledging judicial well-being as a vital aspect of an efficient, independent, and enduring justice system.\n\nThe committee will adopt a systematic institutional approach to detect and tackle challenges impacting the professional and personal well-being of judicial officers. Earlier research by the Supreme Court's Centre for Research and Planning on occupational stress, workload, mental and physical fatigue, staffing shortages, infrastructure constraints, administrative responsibilities, transfers, work-life balance, and support availability among judicial officers formed the basis for this institutional action. The committee's duties will encompass pinpointing areas needing institutional intervention, facilitating coordination on welfare measures, developing suitable guidance, and routinely evaluating initiatives to support judicial officers.\n\nThis initiative seeks to establish a consistent framework for judicial well-being, following the increasing global emphasis on it as an institutional obligation. The Nauru Declaration on Judicial Well-Being, adopted in July 2024, highlighted the requirement for systematic, evidence-based measures to protect judicial officers' physical and mental health. In March 2025, the United Nations General Assembly designated July 25 as the International Day for Judicial Well-Being, recognizing the critical relationship between judges' well-being and the efficient administration of justice. The Supreme Court's creation of a dedicated mechanism to study, address, and periodically review judicial well-being aims to foster a healthier and more supportive environment for judicial officers.",
  "summary": "CJI Surya Kant has formed a Supreme Court committee led by Justice KV Viswanathan to address the mental and physical well-being of judicial officers.",
  "key_points": [
    "Chief Justice Surya Kant forms Standing Committee on Judicial Well-Being.",
    "Committee includes medical professionals and experts in mental health.",
    "Initiative aims to address mental, physical health of judicial officers."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}