New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Wednesday said the Constitution is a “powerful tool” to curb disparity and it creates institutions which are meant to guard against inequality.
He said the Constitution provides for checks and balances within these institutions and also stipulates institutional priorities and obligations to the citizens of the country.
Addressing the gathering at the 13th convocation ceremony and founder’s day of the O P Jindal Global University here, the CJI exhorted the students to spot injustice in all its facets in the world around them.
“The Constitution is a powerful tool to curb such disparity. It creates institutions and structures that are meant to guard against inequality, apparent or invisible,” he said.
“In that sense, our Constitution performs a horizontal function in that it regulates inter-institutional relationships and a vertical function insofar as it regulates the relationship between the state and its people,” he said.
Justice Chandrachud also implored the students to spend their days and lives not only as ambassadors of their alma mater, but also as the voices of reason in a clutter of noise.
“The danger to our societies today is the clutter of noise and we need the voice of reason among the voices of unbridled passion,” he said.
“Take it from a judge who sits through long … taxing hours of courtroom conversation, a voice of reason and sincerity resonates loud and clear,” the CJI said.
He told the students that each one of them possesses the caliber to bring transformative change in their areas of expertise.
“The first step in recognising that is seeing yourselves as vital stake holders in the diversity and well-being of our society,” he said, adding, “even as Supreme Court judges, we spend all our time learning, unlearning and relearning different ways to approach the law and different interpretations”.
Justice Chandrachud said in reality, justice means different things in different contexts and it takes a compassionate eye to spot injustice around them.
He said problems such as climate change, information gap and unequal distribution of basic resources in society do not have clear solutions and the answers lie in exploration and cooperation.
