Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud (Image: YouTube.com/NLSIU)
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud talked about social inclusivity in the legal profession and gender equality, but more importantly, on being a good human when he addressed National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, during its 31st convocation.
“Being a good person and being a good lawyer are not mutually exclusive and if you ever find yourself in a situation when one comes at the cost of the other, I urge you to be a good person first,” he said.
He is also the Chancellor of the University.
During the address, he spoke of the importance at having open conversations in order to bring in equal opportunities, without gender discrimination, at workplaces. “Last year out of 4 out of my 5 law clerks were women. It is not uncommon for them to call me up in the morning and say, “Sir would it be okay if I worked from home today because I am suffering from menstrual cramps”. I tell them please feel free to work from home, but take care of your health and rest, because health comes first. It is important that we have these conversations. We cannot pretend that these issues do not exist,” he said.
He also urged the graduating ‘students to have focus on gender sensible issues, also to drive the legal profession with technological proficiency, so as to “fulfil the aspirations of new India,” the Indian Express reported.
The Supreme Court had recently released a handbook titled ‘Combating Gender Stereotypes’, highlighting this, he said, “we have tried to sensitize our judges, on why we shouldn”t call a woman a “housewife” or use words such as “chaste” or “ravished”. We have attempted to sensitise our judges on why these are no longer passable in modern India,” reported livelaw.in.
The convocation address was by Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, the founding president of JSW School of Law, Bhutan and also the President of the Bar Council of Bhutan.
Ms. Wangchuck’s speech centered on justice, wisdom and service, she said, “Justice is the cornerstone of a functional society which upholds and respects the rule of law. Simply put, justice is treating all with equal respect despite the growing inequalities in societies and the world. In this rapidly evolving world, injustice continues to take myriad forms, from technological and knowledge divide to environmental inequalities,” reported the Hindu.
“As aspiring social engineers, we must find solutions and forge a brighter future based on inclusive decision-making, empathetic action, and equal opportunities. As legal professionals, we are empowered to champion justice through actions as simple as not overcharging fees or by uplifting those marginalised and voiceless through pro bono services,” she added.
Later during the day, Chief Justice Chandrachud and Princess Sonam Wangchuck inaugurated the redeveloped Shri Narayan Rao Melgiri Memorial National Law Library on the NLSIU campus. The library is equipped with Braille printers, JAWS Talking Reader, desktop magnifiers, smart readers, and Online Daisy Player. The supporters of the re-development of the library are the Infosys Foundation, the Karnataka Government and others.
The University, this year has 1,699 students; eight P Ds, 59 Masters of Public Policy, 68 Masters of Law, 74 Bachelors of Arts and Laws (Honours) and 1,490 from the Online and Hybrid Education Programmes graduates.
