No great student leaders after liberalisation; lawyers cannot be strangers to political realities: CJI NV Ramana

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Thursday reminded young lawyers that they cannot be strangers to socio-economic and political realities of the country, and urged them to choose a life of service for the future of the nation, over a life of convenience..He said the history of modern India would be incomplete if the role of students and youth was not acknowledged, since many social revolutions and changes were brought through politically conscious and socially responsible students..However, the CJI pointed out that in the last few decades no big leaders have emerged from the student community. He attributed the blame to diminished participation of students in social causes after liberalisation, and continued to emphasise that student participation in modern democracies was essential."Any keen observer of the Indian society would notice that in the past few decades no big leader has emerged from the student community. This appears to be correlated with the diminished participation of students in social causes after liberalisation. Importance of student participation in modern democracy cannot be played down," he said..Hence, he called upon students to enter public life and emerge as leaders. “It is necessary for you to take part in current debates. You must have a clear vision. It is essential that more and more well-meaning, forward-looking, and upright students like you enter public life. You must emerge as leaders. After all, political consciousness and well-informed debates can steer the nation into a glorious future as envisioned by our Constitution..The Chief Justice was speaking at the 8th Convocation of the National Law University, Delhi..The CJI began his speech by congratulating the new graduates and shared a quote by Justice MC Chagla speaking to the nature and nobility of the legal profession.“The legal profession is a great calling and it is a learned and noble profession. Remember always that it is a profession. It is not a trade or business. The distinction between the two is deep and fundamental. In business, your sole object is to make money. In the legal profession making money is merely incidental.”.The CJI took note of the fact that students are an integral part of society and thus, cannot live in isolation. He reminded the audience that when the youth becomes socially and politically conscious, basic issues come into national discourse..In continuation of this thought, he lamented on the current culture of education in court, stating that the focus lately was greater on professional courses with a total neglect of equally important subjects such as humanities and natural sciences.“In an anxiety to secure highly remunerative and profitable job opportunities, children are sent to exile in privately run residential schools and coaching centres. The formative years of budding talents are spent in a suffocating atmosphere which unfortunately resembles prisons,” he said..Speaking on the growing popularity of National Law Universities, Chief Justice Ramana pointed out that most students from these universities end up working at corporate law firms, explaining that this is probably the reason NLUs are viewed as elitist.“Even though such law firms are an integral part of the legal landscape of the country, it is unfortunate that a comparable addition is not being made to the ranks of lawyers practicing in Courts from the National Law Universities. This is perhaps one of the reasons why National Law Universities are perceived as elitist and detached from social realities,” he said..The CJI encouraged young graduates to explore legal practice and explained that it would give them an opportunity to spend their time and efforts on causes they are passionate about and fight battles in Court relating to various social issues.“You must reflect on the role you can play in the social enrichment and transformation of the nation. Only such introspection leads to development of necessary strength of character and conviction of belief,” the CJI said..The Chief Justice ended his speech by reminding the lawyers in the audience to always uphold the Constitution, and as officers of the Court guard the institution during testing times..[Read Entire Speech]