Brotherhood and fraternity are essential for the progress of the nation and infighting will stall the country's progress, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said on Saturday.Speaking at an event held at Bikaner in Rajasthan under the ‘Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Samman Campaign’ of the Union government, the CJI said that people should practice fraternity in their personal lives.“How will the country progress if people fight with each other? When we say ‘Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Samman’, we should also promote fraternity and brotherhood in the country and absorb these ideals in our personal lives,” he added.The year-long campaign, inaugurated by the Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in January this year, is aimed at creating awareness among citizens about the Constitution and their legal rights and duties. The CJI in his address also said that people must realise the fact that the individuals who are ranked lower to them professionally or personally should be treated with dignity.The CJI highlighted instances where a person senior in rank does not treat his junior with equal respect.“I often see that people don’t look at a person junior to them with respect. I will give you an example, people don’t respect their drivers and think they are doing small work. Similarly, we look at people doing cleaning work with inferiority complex and misbehave with the office peon,” the CJI said.In this context, the CJI referred to the decision taken by the Supreme Court last year to change the nomenclature of the post earlier called Jamadar.'Jamadars' are those court employees who open the door of the judge's car and pull the chair in courtrooms for the judges to sit, CJI Chandrachud said as he explained how after 75 years, the post's name was changed.“The Constitution makes us realise that ... we are part of this huge republic which gives equal importance to fundamental rights and duties,” he added.Expressing his views regarding the campaign, CJI Chandrachud stressed on the State’s role in making people more aware about the Constitution and its values.
In this regard, he applauded the Department of Justice and Union Minister of State (I/C) for the Ministry of Law & Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal for the campaign.
The CJI also said that people must realise that when the Constitution talks about their rights, it also expects them to discharge their duties.
He particularly referred to the duties like respecting the Constitution, promotion of harmony, protection of environment and development of scientific temper.
CJI Chandrachud also spoke on how technology in courtrooms has led to the participation of more women lawyers, who were earlier left out due to the burden of domestic responsibilities.
He added that availability of video-conferencing has brought about a "social change" in the Supreme Court
"The social change is that women in large numbers have started arguing (cases). You know a man just picks up his bag and goes to his chambers. But the woman is not just a lawyer, she also is a mother, a daughter-in-law or sister. The video conferencing has ensured that a woman's time is not wasted in the courtroom," the CJI said.
Many a times women lawyers feel scared when their child comes in between virtual hearings, he said.
"I always say 'don't be scared, we also have kids at home.' By arguing you are doing so much justice to the education that you have received."
The CJI also stressed on the importance of writing judgments in simple language to make people feel more connected to the court and the court procedures.
"As a CJI I have to ensure that justice reaches till the last mile and all have access to justice. When I write my judgments, I think for whom am I writing the judgment. (If) it is for lawyers or judges then you will write in complicated fashion but if you want normal citizens to read it... you will write it in a simple fashion," CJI Chandrachud said.
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