He said that niti (law) does not always result in nyay (justice) and, therefore, exhorted law graduates to critique law and be guided by the path of one’s own conscience and equitable reason.
“At many points in your career, you will realise that what is legal is probably unjust whereas what is just may not be always legal. This is where your law school training of learning to critique the law will come in handy….You must remember the importance of differentiating between law and justice and critiquing the law as a step to advance justice. Niti, in other words, does not always result in Nyay,” he said.
Pertinently, he also urged law graduates stepping into the legal profession, especially those who pursue a career in social justice lawyering, to speak truth to power.
“Stepping into the world as fresh graduates amidst the increasing noise and confusion of political, social and moral clashes of ideologies, you must be guided by the path of your own conscience and equitable reason. Speak truth to power, maintain your composure in the face of unspeakable social injustices and utilise your good fortune and privileged positions to remedy them,” he said.
Being accepting and tolerant of the opinions of others by no means translates into blind conformity and it does not mean not standing up against hate speech, he added.
“You may encounter people who will tell you the situation is much better than before or better than situation in other places. However, the journey to justice does not stop midpoint or where we feel that we are less unjust than the others,” he further stated.
He was addressing law graduates at 11th Convocation Ceremony of Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
Source: Barandbench
