Law is a living conversation shaped by diverse voices: CJI Surya Kant at NLSIU convocation

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice Surya Kant, on Saturday said that law is not static but evolves through the minds and actions of those who practise it, describing it as a "living conversation" shaped by diverse voices and perspectives.

Addressing the 34th Annual Convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), in Bengaluru, the CJI said legal education must go beyond textbooks, statutes and case law to foster intellectual independence, ethical responsibility and the ability to engage with people holding different viewpoints.

“Each time we listen to perspectives that diverge from ours, we are reminded that the law itself is a living conversation and that it is shared by voices that do not always harmonise but together create the symphony of justice,” he said.

The CJI said that the legal profession demanded not only mastery of statutes and precedents but also the courage to defend what is just and the humility to listen to voices that often remain unheard.

He stressed that intellectual independence required fearlessness, the ability to hear before judging, distinguish a person from a position, and disagree without denying another person's dignity.

“The law, as you will soon discover in its living form, is not static. It breathes, and it evolves through the minds and actions of those who practise it,” the CJI said.

He told the graduating students that the cases they argued, contracts they drafted, advice they gave and judgments they wrote would contribute to the larger architecture of justice in the country.

Describing law school as a space where ideas collide and convictions are tested, CJI Kant said the purpose of legal education extended beyond learning constitutional and legal principles to encountering people whose backgrounds, beliefs and interpretations challenged one's own.

The CJI cautioned the graduates against compromising their values when expediency tempted them or easy shortcuts appeared attractive, urging them to remain guided by the principles imbibed at the institution.

“Law will challenge your patience, test your ethics, and call upon the deepest reserves of your courage,” he said, adding that the profession also offered the satisfaction of righting wrongs, defending liberty and serving society.

At the convocation, CJI Kant offered condolences to the family and friends of a deceased NLSIU graduate who, he said, should have been present to receive her degree alongside her classmates.

He also acknowledged the contributions of parents, faculty members and staff in shaping the graduates' academic and personal journeys.

Concluding his address, the CJI urged the graduates to become not merely practitioners of law but “heralds of hope”, whose contributions to justice and society would endure.

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