Number of lawyers in parliament dwindling; laws enacted in early years were flawless: CJI NV Ramana

Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Monday bemoaned the dwindling number of lawyers in the parliament. .The CJI highlighted how the freedom struggle, Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution, and the parliament in its initial days, had a significant chunk of lawyers as a result of which the Constitution and laws enacted were flawless."On every possible occasion I keep mentioning about the great contribution made by our legal community in our freedom struggle and in framing of the Constitution. In the constituent assembly and in the early days of our parliament, the house was dominated by legal professionals. As a result, we got outstanding Constitution and flawless laws. Nowadays the number of lawyers has dwindled and that space is taken by others. I do not want to comment any further."He was speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to felicitate Senior Advocate Jagdeep Dhankar who was recently appointed Vice President of India. .The CJI in his speech also upon touched upon the Vice President's humble beginnings."He used to walk six kilometers from his village to attend his school. All through, he maintained live contact with his roots. Simplicity and hard work, which are synonymous with rural life, are his constant companions. It is on the strength of our democracy that Shri Dhankhar ji could reach the second highest office in the country, in spite of hailing from rural background and without political father or Godfather. His elevation is a tribute to our healthy democratic traditions and rich constitutional values."The CJI added that he was looking forward to watching quality debates in the Rajya Sabha presided by Vice President Dhankar. "During his tenure, Shri Dhankhar will have the unique and challenging opportunity to ensure smooth functioning of the Rajya Sabha as its ex-officio Chairman. This calls for harmonizing the interests of all sides of the House. I know, it is not easy to satisfy each Hon’ble Member of the House. But, I am confident that with his rich court craft and exposure in diverse fields, Shri Dhankhar ji will definitely manage to take along all sections of the House," the CJI said..Solicitor General Tushar Mehta spoke of the academic brilliance, humour and humility of the Vice President.Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the new Vice President would be an asset to the parliament and the country.Read more about Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar's speech here.[Read CJI's speech]