New Delhi – The Chief Justice of India (CJI) made a significant statement, saying that girls are the most vulnerable in the digital age. He made these remarks during a national legal conference where he expressed deep concern about online harassment, cyberbullying, and digital crimes.

The Chief Justice of India stated on Saturday that in the digital era, girls are facing new kinds of troubles and dangers. Technology has become a tool for exploitation rather than empowerment.

The CJI was speaking at the national conference ‘Safeguarding the Girl Child’ organized by the Supreme Court’s Juvenile Justice Committee and UNICEF India.

The event was also attended by other justices, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, and representatives from UNICEF India.

1. Despite constitutional guarantees, many girls in the country are still deprived of basic rights and dignity. This situation pushes them into circumstances of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, child marriage, and discrimination. Quoting Tagore’s poem ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’, the CJI said,

2. In the digital era, threats have now expanded from the physical realm to the virtual world. While technology provides opportunities on one hand, it is increasingly becoming a means for new forms of exploitation.

Justice Nagarathna stated – Girls should receive equal rights as boys

Justice Nagarathna – A girl can only be considered an equal citizen when she receives the same opportunities, resources, and respect as a boy.

Justice Pardiwala – Every girl has the right to progress with education, health, and equal opportunities, free from fear and discrimination.

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital of India, officially inaugurated in 1931 to replace Kolkata (Calcutta) as the seat of the British Raj. It was designed by architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, featuring wide, tree-lined boulevards and grand government buildings. Today, it serves as the political center of India, housing key national institutions like the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Parliament House.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the United States, established in 1789 by Article III of the U.S. Constitution. It serves as the final arbiter of federal law and the Constitution, ensuring uniform interpretation through its power of judicial review, which was established by the landmark 1803 case *Marbury v. Madison*.

UNICEF India

UNICEF India is the local branch of the United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. It was established in 1949 and has since worked in partnership with the Government of India on critical issues such as child immunization, nutrition, education, and child protection. Its long-term mission is to uphold the rights of every child in India to survival, development, and participation.

Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath and the first non-European Nobel laureate in Literature, best known for his poetry and his role in the Bengali Renaissance. His family estate, Jorasanko Thakur Bari in Kolkata, is a cultural site that now houses the Rabindra Bharati University museum, preserving his legacy and contributions to art and literature.

Where the Mind is Without Fear

“Where the Mind is Without Fear” is not a physical place but the opening line of a famous poem, “Gitanjali 35,” by the Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Written during the Indian independence movement, the poem envisions an ideal, free nation where people live with knowledge, dignity, and without oppression. It serves as a powerful cultural and philosophical vision of a liberated India.