CJI Surya Kant urges young lawyers to shoulder responsibility of future, says ‘much remains to be done’

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CJI
Su ya
Ka t

Chief
Justice
of
I dia
Su ya
Ka t
o
Satu day
said
I dia
had
ove come
seve al
fo midable
challe ges
i
the
eight
decades
si ce
I depe de ce,
but
much
emai ed
to
be
do e,
u gi g
you g
law
g aduates
a d
lawye s
to
p epa e
themselves
to
shoulde
the
espo sibilities
of
the
futu e.Speaki g
at
the
atio al
flag-hoisti g
ce emo y
o ga ised
by
the
Sup eme
Cou t
Ba
Associatio
at
the
apex
cou t
p emises
o
the
occasio
of
I dia’s
80th
I depe de ce
Day,
Ka t
said
the
cou t y’s
achieveme ts
also
b ought
with
them
a
e ewed
se se
of
espo sibility.“The
jou ey
of
a
atio
does
ot
e d
with
what
it
has
accomplished.
Eve y
achieveme t
also
b i gs
with
it
a
e ewed
se se
of
espo sibility
a d
duty.
The e
is
much
that
emai s
to
be
do e,
a d
ma y
mo e
miles
to
t avel
i
ou
jou ey
ahead,”
he
said.Seve al
se io
judges,
lawye s
a d
cou t
staff
atte ded
the
ce emo y.

‘Respo sibility
of
this
Ba
will
soo
est
o
you
shoulde s’

Add essi g
you g
lawye s,
Ka t
said
the
espo sibility
ca ied
by
the
legal
p ofessio
si ce
the
f eedom
st uggle
would
soo
pass
to
the
ext
ge e atio .“The
espo sibility
that
this
Ba
has
ca ied
si ce
the
days
of
the
f eedom
st uggle
will,
befo e
lo g,
est
o
you
shoulde s.

The
i stitutio s
of
justice
that
ge e atio s
befo e
you
have
built
a d
st e gthe ed
a e
ow
you s
to
p otect
a d
to
ca y
fo wa d,”
he
said.He
assu ed
you g
lawye s
that
the
Ba
a d
Be ch
emai ed
committed
to
suppo ti g
thei
p ofessio al
g owth
th ough
me to ship
a d
oppo tu ities.“The
miles
that
emai
a e
you s
to
walk,
a d
we
walk
with
you,”
he
added.Ka t
said
the
f eedom
st uggle
had
a
deep
a d
e du i g
co ectio
with
law
a d
that
some
of
the
fi est
legal
mi ds
of
the
pe iod
helped
establish
the
idea
that
law
should
se ve
justice,
p otect
libe ty
a d
uphold
huma
dig ity.He
oted
that
Mahatma
Ga dhi
a d
BR
Ambedka ,
whom
he
desc ibed
as
two
of
the
g eatest
a chitects
of
mode
I dia,
alo g
with
Sa da
Vallabhbhai
Patel,
Motilal
Neh u,
Bal
Ga gadha
Tilak
a d
Lala
Lajpat
Rai,
we e
lawye s.This,
he
said,
demo st ated
that
the
legal
p ofessio
was
ot
a
bysta de
to
I dia’s
f eedom
st uggle
but
a
i teg al
pa t
of
it.

CJI
highlights
cha gi g
challe ges
fo
you g
lawye s

Ka t
said
I dia’s
legal
a d
judicial
i stitutio s
had
g ow
a d
matu ed
alo gside
the
Republic
a d
played
a
impo ta t
ole
i
shapi g
the
cou t y’s
co scie ce.Tu i g
to
you g
lawye s,
he
ack owledged
the
difficulties
of
sta ti g
a
legal
ca ee ,
sayi g
the
p ofessio
had
become
mo e
competitive,
the
lea i g
cu ve
steepe
a d
the
p essu e
of
buildi g
a
p actice
heavie .“I
pe so ally
emembe
the
a xieties
of
those
ea ly
yea s
at
the
Ba ,
a d
I
say
this
ot
to
discou age
ou
you g
colleagues,
but
because
I
wa t
them
to
k ow
that
we
see
them,
a d
we
u de sta d
thei
challe ges,”
he
said.At
the
same
time,
he
exp essed
co fide ce
i
the
you ge
ge e atio ,
citi g
thei
esilie ce,
i tellect
a d
commitme t
to
justice.Ka t
said
you g
lawye s
had
also
g ow
up
with
tech ology
t a sfo mi g
commu icatio
a d
access
to
k owledge,
b i gi g
g eate
adaptability
to
cou t ooms.
He
also
highlighted
thei
se sitivity
towa ds
equality,
i clusio
a d
access
to
justice.

‘Law
must
emai
co ected
to
lives
of
people’

Reflecti g
o
I dia’s
f eedom
moveme t,
the
CJI
said
it
diffe ed
f om
ma y
ea lie
st uggles
agai st
colo ial
ule
because
it
was
ot
p ima ily
a
a med
i su ectio .“Ou s
was
ot
p ima ily
a
a med
i su ectio ;
it
was
i stead
a
sustai ed
challe ge
to
the
legitimacy
of
colo ial
ule
th ough
political
moveme ts,
petitio s,
public
debates,
a d,
most
impo ta tly,
th ough
the
la guage
of
law,”
he
said.

He
said
the
f eedom
moveme t
epeatedly
challe ged
the
co t adictio
betwee
colo ial
claims
of
gove a ce
th ough
law
a d
the
de ial
of
libe ty,
equality
a d
dig ity
to
I dia s.Acco di g
to
Ka t,
that
p i ciple
emai s
eleva t
today
as
cou ts
p ovide
a
fo um
fo
people
f om
diffe e t
backg ou ds
to
asse t
thei
co stitutio al
ights,
challe ge
a bit a y
actio
a d
seek
equal
t eatme t
u de
the
law.“Cou ts
have
co ti ued
to
se ve
as
a
u ifyi g
space
fo
the
litiga ts
a d
membe s
of
the
Ba
alike,”
he
said.Sup eme
Cou t
Ba
Associatio
p eside t
Vikas
Si gh
a d
othe
membe s
of
the
ba
body
also
add essed
the
gathe i g.

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