If courts are sentinels of Constitution, Bar members are torchbearers who illuminate the path: CJI Surya Kant

Speaking at the Constitution Day celebrations organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, CJI Surya Kant said the judiciary has repeatedly acknowledged the Bar’s indubitable role in safeguarding its virtues.

Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant speaks during the Constitution Day celebration organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

Implications of Constitutional adjudication extend far beyond individual disputes and shape the course of the nation itself, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said Wednesday.

Speaking at the Constitution Day celebrations organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the CJI said, “The Bar occupies an indispensable place in fortifying the Rule of Law and upholding the sanctity of our Constitution. If the courts are regarded as the sentinels of the Constitution, then the members of the Bar are the torchbearers who illuminate our path as we discharge that solemn duty with clarity and conviction.”

The Constitution Day of India or Samvidhan Divas is observed annually to commemorate the official adoption of the Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949, which established India as a sovereign and democratic republic.

CJI Kant said that whenever the court is “called upon to pronounce on the constitutionality of a provision, or to expand the ambit of another, it is the range of perspectives, the depth of readings, and the wealth of precedent that the Bar brings before us to marshal our understanding.”

He said that the Bar’s scholarship allows the court “to approach each question with a more holistic vision, forming the very bedrock upon which constitutional jurisprudence steadily evolves.”

Ever since the Constitution’s inception, the CJI said, “The judiciary has repeatedly acknowledged the indubitable role of the Bar in safeguarding its virtues.”

Pointing out that the work of the Bench and the Bar “is far from complete,” CJI Kant said, “We must all continue the journey begun decades ago” and that “the Bar, in particular, must shoulder an even deeper sense of responsibility.”

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“When I often speak about the ‘invisible victims’ of the judicial system, it is my sincere belief that only the Bar can rescue them from such agony,” he added.

The Centre declared November 26 as Constitution Day in 2015 to promote constitutional values and commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, who is known as the “father” of the Indian Constitution. Previously, the day was observed as Law Day.