Despite constitutional safeguards, social justice remain far from resolved: CJI Surya Kant at Shri Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Memorial Lecture

The CJI said that amid the unprecedented technological advancement, the question persists whether all sections of society are benefitting from it. He said courts play a pivotal role in the pursuit of justice, but justice is not confined merely to verdicts. He pointed out that the law provides a framework and a direction, yet the responsibility to walk in that direction rests with society itself. If people’s mindset lacks the values of equality, sensitivity, and respect, the reach of the law will remain limited, he said.

Referring to Dinkar’s poem “Rashmirathi” based on the life of Mahabharta’s Karna, the CJI said through the character, Dinkar has launched a scathing critique of a society where an individual’s identity is determined not by their deeds, but by their caste and lineage.

He said it compels one to ponder whether it is just to discriminate against someone solely on the basis of birth; whether society has the right to disregard an individual’s merit. The CJI said that through the character of Karna, Dinkar champions the ideals of justice, self-respect, and human dignity — the fundamental entitlements of every human being.

‘Rashmirathi’, he added, shows the mirror to society, compelling it to reflect on whether it has truly succeeded in building a just society. It does not merely serve as a reminder of the past but challenges “us to ask whether we have truly learned to move forward in the direction we envisioned for a New India”.

The CJI said after the Independence, when India was in the process of reshaping its social and moral fabric from the ground up, questions such as equality, opportunity, and identity were not merely theoretical concepts, but rather the fundamental pillars of nation-building and the framers of the Indian Constitution kept all these human values in mind.

Recalling the Roman adage ‘if you want peace, prepare for war’, The CJI said Dinkar too has a line which seeks to convey that it is only when national consciousness is awakened—when manliness, strength, and power emerge within society—that people offer it reverence, hold it in awe, and respect its identity and sovereignty.