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'Law can be an instrument of justice but also that of…': CJI Chandrachud
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud spoke on a host of challenges faced by the courts, including real-time reporting on social media and the issue of representation.
Law can be an instrument of justice but also that of oppression, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said on Saturday as he stressed that it is the responsibility of "all decision makers and not just judges" to ensure that the law does not become an instrument of the oppression.
Addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Justice Chandrachud said “we know how the same law as it exists from the statute books today could be used as an instrument of oppression” during colonial times.
“What sustains judicial institutions in the long run is your sense of compassion, it's your sense of empathy,” the CJI said.
“When you have that ability to hear unheard voices in the system, unseen faces in the system, and then try and see where the balance between the law and justice lies. Then you can truly perform your mission as a judge. Sometimes law and justice don't necessarily follow the same linear trajectory,” he added.
During his address, Justice Chandrachud also touched upon a host of issues, including the challenges faced by the courts in the times of social media and the issue of representation.
“The first challenge we face is that of expectations,” Justice DY Chandrachud underlined as he spoke about the different kinds of cases that come up in the top court.
"Almost every case comes into the lap, every social issue, every legal issue, and I dare say, a large number of political issues fall within the adjudicatory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court."
On the issue of representation, Justice Chandrachud said that the feeding pool that determines who enters the judiciary is largely dependent on the structure of the legal profession, which is “feudal, patriarchal and not been accommodating of women.”
