Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has urged the legal fraternity to understand the peoples’ problems and improve their lives with the help of laws.
Speaking during the felicitation function of newly sworn-in judges, organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Wednesday, the CJI said that while it was important to have the knowledge of law and the context of its enactment, the understanding of people’s struggles was what made excellent lawyers and judges.
The CJI, while comparing judicial decision-making to riding a bicycle, said that when teetering went out of control, complex theories could not help restore balance. In such moments of crisis, a simple idea of justice, rooted in the judge’s understanding of human life, could often provide the necessary stability, he added.
He said in moments of imbalance, it was unlikely to find solutions in very complicated, theoretical statements of the law or policy. The stabilising influence in such moments of crisis was often a very simple idea of justice.
He noted that the strength of a simple idea was that it came from the vast experience of a judge as a lawyer, as a student of the law, and as a discerning, observing member of the society.
The SCBA organised the event to honour the four newly-elevated Supreme Court judges: Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Justice Augustine George Masih, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice PB Varale.
Speaking about the new Apex Court judges, he said the Supreme Court was now operating at its maximum mandated strength again, adding that the Apex Court would benefit from the diversity of their experiences.
SCBA President Adish C Aggarwala, Vice-President of SCBA Sukumar Pattjoshi, Attorney-General R Venkataramani, SCBA Joint Secretary Meenesh Dubey, among others, were present on the occasion.