Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has termed young members of the Bar as custodians of the constitutional project, observing that they were not mere practitioners engaged in case-building, but participants in the larger enterprise of nation-building.
Addressing the seventh convocation ceremony of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala, Punjab on Tuesday, the CJI underscored that the true distinction lay between lawyers who addressed only the dispute of the day and those who remained mindful of how present adjudication shaped the moral, social, and legal contours of the future.
He cautioned young lawyers against reducing the legal profession to a purely transactional pursuit centred on procedural mastery, billable hours, and litigation outcomes, noting that such an approach might yield technically proficient advocates but would fall short of nurturing lawyers capable of strengthening democratic institutions and advancing constitutional governance.
He described the Constitution of India not as a static or immutable document, but as a living and evolving framework. While constitutional courts interpreted its provisions and institutions gave it operational form, it was ultimately the lawyers, who infused the Constitution with life and relevance through advocacy, counsel, and ethical conduct.
He said each generation inherited the Republic as an unfinished constitutional experiment, with the responsibility to refine and advance it through principled professional conduct.
The CJI noted that institutions such as RGNUL distinguished themselves not merely by geography or infrastructure, but by the intellectual and civic culture they cultivated.
He observed that campuses that prioritised sustainability, co-curricular engagement, and public discourse fostered graduates who were not only legally trained but socially conscious and institutionally responsible. Such environments played a critical role in shaping citizens capable of informed constitutional participation, he added.
Placing the role of young lawyers within a rapidly transforming legal ecosystem, the CJI observed that contemporary legal practice increasingly intersected with technology, economics, environmental science, and public policy.
He noted that disputes now routinely involved algorithm-driven contracts, digital assets, transnational family arrangements, and time-sensitive environmental litigation. In this context, lawyers were required not only to litigate competently but also to interpret complex realities, advise responsibly, innovate dispute-resolution mechanisms, and humanise the law.
Drawing upon his experience spanning over four decades at the Bar and the Bench, the CJI outlined three foundational attributes essential for a meaningful legal career: integrity, compassion, and intellectual curiosity.
He said integrity constituted the institutional backbone of the justice system, warning that while inefficiency could be remedied, erosion of trust could irreparably damage public confidence. Compassion ensured that the law did not devolve into a mechanistic application of rules detached from human consequences, while curiosity sustained the law’s capacity to adapt to changing societal needs, he added.
The CJI further linked these values to ongoing judicial reforms, including mediation, judicial modernisation, and the need for a coherent national judicial policy. Such reforms would acquire substance only when embraced and carried forward by younger members of the profession, transforming judicial vision into institutional practice.
CJI Kant reiterated that constitutional blueprints attained meaning only through conscientious implementation. He urged graduating students to build their careers with ethical clarity, empathy, and intellectual openness, so that the justice system they inherited could emerge stronger, more humane, and more responsive for future generations. Members of the judiciary, faculty, and legal professionals attended the event.
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