Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sep 17: According to Chief Justice of India Dhananjay Chandrachud, whether or not we uphold our integrity will determine whether or not our profession survives or if it self-destructs. According to the CJI, integrity is the cornerstone of the legal profession. Speaking at an event with the theme “Enhancing collaboration between Advocates & Judges: Towards strengthening legal system,” the CJI stated that integrity is not destroyed by a single thunderstorm, but rather through tiny, inconsequential concessions and compromises made by lawyers and judges.Whether we uphold our ethics or not will determine whether our profession survives or if it dies. Integrity is undermined by incremental concessions and compromises made by lawyers and judges, not by a single thunderstorm, he claimed. “Our consciences follow us all to sleep. You can deceive everyone else, but you can’t deceive your conscience. Every night, it asks new questions. The foundation of the legal profession is integrity. We shall either endure with integrity or self-destruct,” the CJI continued. According to him, respect is reciprocated between judges and lawyers when both parties recognise their roles as cogs in the same wheel of justice. Lawyers are treated with respect when they respect judges, and vice versa. He stated that gender is not just a woman’s issue and is also a man’s concern when referring to women in the judiciary. “I think creating an equal opportunity profession is one of the biggest challenges facing the Indian legal profession. Because the legal profession’s makeup now will determine it in 30 to 40 years, according to CJI Chandrachud.“When people inquire as to why there aren’t more female judges, I reply that they shouldn’t look at the current collegiums because they must select from the talent available at the bar. “Members of the bar from 20 to 25 years ago are the judges entering higher judiciary today,” he said, “you need to consider where our civilization stood 30 to 20 years ago.” He added that as women make up a significant portion of the legal profession, judges and solicitors should ensure that they have a voice in the system.The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court and the Advocate Association of Bombay High Court organised the CJI’s talk at Mahatma Gandhi Mission University. There were several judges in attendance, including Justices Abhay Oka, Deepankar Datta, Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, PV Varale, SV Gangapurwala, and RV Ghuge, as well as Attorney General Virendra Saraf, Advocate Association President NC Jadhav, and Secretary RK Ingole. (Agencies)
