Legal profession is not about profit maximization, but service to society: CJI NV Ramana

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Tuesday commended law students across the country for involving themselves in the legal aid movement, while expressing his strong belief that it would prepare them to be future torch-bearers..He reminded them that the legal profession, at its core, was for the service of society.“Your decision to join the legal aid movement will pave the path for a great career. This will help you inculcate empathy, understanding and a sense of selflessness. Remember, unlike other professions, the legal profession is not about profit maximization, but about service to the society.”.He went on to opine,“I find it immensely beneficial for the law students that through the legal services authorities, they are coming face to face with grassroot realities of our country. What I find more beneficial is that these students are becoming major players in the legal aid movement. They are essential for expanding the outreach of legal services to every corner of the country.”.The Chief Justice was speaking at the Legal Services Day celebrations held on Tuesday. He remarked how glad he was to see grand celebrations for the anniversary of the Legal Services Authorities Act.“This day marks the beginning of our journey towards achieving the constitutional goal of Access to Justice. On this day in 1995, the Legal Services Authorities Act came into force and paved the way for entire framework of Legal Services Authorities. I am glad to see such a grand celebration of Legal Services Day.”.He also took the opportunity to point out that legal aid was in existence long before it was institutionalised by way of the Act. He called attention to the mention of "justice" in the Preamble of our Constitution, which reflected the intent in the minds of the Constituent Assembly.“I must remind you all that while the concept of legal aid was institutionalized in 1995, the actual legal aid movement started much before our Independence and during our freedom struggle. Several legal stalwarts used to offer their pro-bono legal services to our freedom fighters and fought against the might of colonial powers. Growth of this legal aid movement reflected in our Constitution, wherein the expression ‘Justice: Social, Economic and Political’ finds special place in the Preamble. It reflects the seriousness of the members of the Constituent Assembly about the notion of Justice and its ambit.”.Further, he discussed the evolution of the concept of legal aid over the course of the last 26 years, from traditional viewpoints to an expanded meaning of “access to justice”.“Today, the role of legal services authorities is not constrained merely to the provision of court-based legal representation. They also work towards legal awareness, legal literacy, social action litigation, settlement of disputes through Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, among others.”.The Chief Justice concluded his address by thanking all contributors to the national legal aid movement. He particularly expressed his gratitude to Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.“I am very happy to see our Law Minister’s personal inclination towards the progress of legal services authorities and I hope that under his leadership, the existing roadblocks in the growth of legal services authorities including the infrastructural issues will be taken care of with prompt intervention.”.Also sharing the dais were the Supreme Court's Justice UU Lalit as well Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Rajesh Bindal and brother judge, Justice MN Bhandari..[Read an account of the entire event here].[Read full speech here]