Hyderabad: Governor ESL Narasimhan today said the concept of justice is static and that with the changes in society the interpretation and application of justice may evolve but the concept of justice remains constant.
Addressing at the 16th Convocation held at NALSAR University on Saturday, Narasimhan advised law students to ‘speak the truth, lead a righteous life’, which was the advice given to the disciples by learned sages in ancient times, and it is most applicable to the students of Law graduating from the NALSAR University, even today.
The Governor said liberty and equality are important in any system of law and justice. He referred to some recent media reports on technical glitches in admission tests done by the University and advocated that recourse to technological tools should be done after testing and stabilisation rather than rushing into it. He said judicial system has an important role to play in good governance.
Narasimhan said there is a common perception in the society that litigations on environment protection, human rights violations, gender justice, education reforms are sometimes sponsored by vested interests and not in the larger interests of the society and said that the decisions and arguments in such cases should be in favour of larger interests of society rather than swayed away by vested interests. He said it may not always be true but happens in some cases.
Judiciary in India enjoys a very significant position as a guardian and custodian of the constitution and acts as a watchdog against the violation of Fundamental Rights and any form of reforms brought in should not re-ignite a state of turbulence in the society, said the Governor. He said effective implementation of Rule of Law requires effective policing, prosecution and executive system with an innovative approach. He said NALSAR University should take the lead the educate common people on the legal nuances and not leave them totally dependent on only legal practitioners. He said as students coming out of the country’s best law school they are expected to dedicate themselves to lofty ideals and selfless public service.
The Governor told the students that they should lead an ethical life and not compromise on values also said that a Code of Conduct is needed for professional practitioners in the country, be it legal fraternity or medical practitioners. Even though the accused in the case of an assassination has a fundamental right to be defended, even though the crime committed by him is blatantly visible, the courts go on arguing in favour of and against the accused, which gives a wrong idea of what exactly is the role of legal fraternity. The Governor said that we have an active and vigilante media and sometimes the perception is that trial by media is influencing the course of justice, which he said he is absolutely sure, is not the case but the question is raised in some circles, said the Governor. He said personal bias should be kept away from official responsibility.
The Governor also said that it is often mentioned that the Law is very strong against the weak and it is very weak against the strong and said that for a common man the courts are the last resort to justice and it should be timely and visible. The Governor referred to an incident in which his own brother, an IAS officer, working as Divisional Commissioner in Assam, when he went to office and sat in his chair a bomb went off killing him instantly and every single accused in the case was acquitted. If he was a courageous person there would have been on the look out notice as a gun trotting terrorist and as he did not have the courage, he became the Governor. He said in such cases the society flips from this side to that side it is exactly in such situations that the role of judiciary becomes more important. He said that people take up guns as they get a feeling of exclusion from justice and society. He said the role of judiciary is very important to have inclusivity and delays in dispensation of justice should be avoided and unnecessary grant of stays, adjournments should be avoided and trials should go on, on a day to day basis. He said if the trial is not concluded within four adjournments, the case should be decided ex parte. Governor said dispensation of justice must be visible, must be real and must be exemplary.
The Chancellor of the NALSAR University, Justice T.B. Radhakrishnan, Chief Justice of High Court at Hyderabad for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh presented Degrees and Gold Medals to the students, Prof. Upendra Baxi, an eminent legal scholar was conferred Honorary Doctorate, on the occasion. Sri A. Indrakaran Reddy, Minister for Housing, Law and Endowments, Government of Telangana, has also participated in the Convocation. On this occasion, Governor Sri E.S.L. Narasimhan released books on ‘Corporates and Disability Rights’ and a book on Sada Bainama Regulations, prepared by the University. (NSS)