On January 11, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud lamented the fact that those in the legal profession take pride in working extra-long hours, which leads to mental health issues. "We need to stop glorifying overwork or burnout. We need to increase holistic working. We need to dispel the stigma of mental health issues around the profession," the CJI underscored.

The CJI said that there are several causes for mental health issues among lawyers including burden of work and financial worries. "One cause is the adversarial tenure. People take pride in it which makes it stressful. Long nights, overworked, financial worries ... Mental health can improve performance in long run. We have developed a system which awards excellence at the cost of everything else," he said.

While speaking with Professor David B Wilkins via virtual conference, the CJI mentioned the importance of paying lawyers a fair wage.

In this regard, he mentioned the profession's exclusionary aspects."Those who do not work in corporate law are not compensated properly. We need to adopt an intersectional approach concerning mental health. In some areas, law is still a feudal profession and where exclusion is existing and it is difficult for minorities, queers, women. Mental health can improve performance in long run."

CJI Chandrachud conceded that the legal profession has been slow in adopting technology, yet one needs to acknowledge the digital divide.

"No one thinks we will go back totally to the physical form of hearings ... The real challenge before us is to go beyond just being paperless and instead use technology to bring about a digital transformation. The Supreme Court is no longer a Supreme Court in Delhi but is truly the Supreme Court of India."

He added that virtual hearings enabled more women to appear during the pandemic, and that live-streaming of proceedings promotes a sense of confidence in the working of courts.

"Technology gives us a medium to replace the colonial model of justice where litigants had to reach out for justice and here the institution can reach out to dispense justice."