New Delhi: Supreme Court Justice AK Sikri told a gathering of law graduates on Sunday that the “values of democracy are at stake”.
“Today, we are undergoing transformation of a different kind. See the world at large. Even the values of democracy, which Greeks gave to this world 2,500 years ago, are at stake… there is a backsliding of democratic values,” Justice Sikri, who was the chief guest at the at the convocation ceremony of the Gujarat National Law University, said.
Justice Sikri was the CJI’s nominee on the high-powered panel that in a 2:1 majority vote had removed Alok Verma as the CBI chief. He was in the eye of a storm after it was reported that he was nominated to a London-based tribunal by the central government a month before the hearing. He rejected a post-retirement offer after the controversy.
He told the students that there are so many challenges, which judges may face, of a different nature. Addressing the gathering, Justice Sikri called for the need to "uphold the law and Constitution and save democracy" at a time when its values were "at stake" the world over.
In all this and in our constitutional scheme, judge has to perform a very vital role. One Ahron Barak, former president of Supreme court of Israel, equal to our Chief Justice of India, has said there are two roles which a judge in a democracy is supposed to perform. One is to uphold the law and Constitution and save the democracy. Second is to bridge the gap between law and society. So, therefore, those of you who join judicial fraternity, these are the roles you have to perform in the challenging world.”
Sikri called for bridging the gap between the law and the society and added that students joining judicial fraternity will have to perform these roles "in challenging days".
He told the students that while they should look to earn money in this "lucrative profession," they should also ensure the marginalised sections of the society get "social justice".
"The thing which can be admired about this profession is that you can earn a lot of money by maintaining moral, ethical values, which in some of the other professions one has to sacrifice," Sikri said.
He advised the budding judicial professionals to keep their "humane aspect" at the heart of their career. "That is what we have to do when we are taking up social causes," Sikri said.
A total of 462 students graduated at the 9th convocation ceremony of the law university.
Supreme Court Judge DY Chandrachud, who was also present, meanwhile said men have a key role to play in the fight for gender equality as he called for the need to de-construct the stereotype of gender roles.
Justice Chandrachud, who was part of the five-judge bench that allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, said violence and discrimination faced by females were compounded by people's "insensitivity to women's rights and issues".
"Women have to deal with shocking gender wage gaps, forms of violence and harassments, forced adherence to feminine, impossible standards of beauty, compounded by what I think might be the worst of all-- insensitivity to women's rights and issues," Chandrachud said.
"The fight for gender equality cannot be fought by women alone. Men have a key role to play in demanding and supporting this societal shift by being a part of conversation and of the movement," he added.
The country is faced with "disturbing inequalities and disparities in access to opportunities, including access to education," the SC judge said and exhorted the law students to use their privilege to "try and change injustices of society".
The same values which grant privilege to some rob others of their humanity. There is, hence, an urgent need to address this.
"And if you choose to remain a beneficiary and do nothing, you are complicit in furthering a grave injustice," he told the audience.
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