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Supreme Court judge Justice B V Nagarathna on Saturday said that courts have the duty to enforce the rule of law “without fear or favour, affection or ill will”, for it to be preserved as the essence of democracy.
“In a democracy where rule of law is its essence, it has to be preserved and enforced particularly by courts of law. If the rule of law has to be preserved as the essence of democracy, it is the duty of the courts to enforce the same without fear or favour, affection or ill will,” she said, addressing the 12th convocation of the National Law University in Delhi.
Justice Nagarathna sought to underline that “respect for law is one of the cardinal principles for an effective operation of the Constitution, law and the popular government.”
The judge added that “rule of law being one of the most significant characteristics of good governance prevails because India has an independent judiciary which has been sustained, amongst others, because of support and assistance from an independent Bar”.
Justice Nagarathna said that the “responsibility to work the Constitution in all its magnanimity and good intentions does not lie only with the people in the power corridors, but extends to every lawyer who should be an advocate of the Constitution”.
Addressing the graduating students, she said, “Too often, the law is seen as a fortress accessible only to the powerful. But in your hands, it must become a bridge — a bridge between rights and remedies, between the Constitution and the citizen, between justice and the people.“
Justice Nagarathna said that “law is not just about rules” but “about purpose.”
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“It is about creating conditions in which human dignity can flourish. It is about ensuring that every person—regardless of wealth, status, caste, gender, or belief—is treated as an equal subject before the law. In societies like ours, where historical exclusions and entrenched inequalities persist, the legal profession is not just a vocation — it is a vehicle for transformation,” she added.
Justice Nagarathna said, “It is tempting to think of law and justice as concepts that reside within courtrooms—in the form of arguments made by lawyers, orders passed by judges, or judgments published in law reports. But the truth is that justice neither begins nor ends within four walls of a courtroom. It is lived—or denied—in the everyday experiences of people, far beyond the reach of legal formalities.”
The Supreme Court judge said, “As lawyers, your responsibility goes far beyond litigation. You are not merely service providers in a professional sense. You are—or must become—translators of the Constitution into the language of people’s lives.”
Drawing from her own life lessons, Justice Nagarathna said, “The foundation of a meaningful legal career is not brilliance, not eloquence, not even technical expertise — it is integrity and to enhance the faith in the system. Integrity is built not in a day but over years — in every choice you make, in every argument you decline to twist, in every opportunity you forgo because it compromises your principles. It is the unshakable core that will carry you through public scrutiny, professional competition and moments of moral conflict.”
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She advised that the law should not be wielded as a weapon of exclusion, but as a bridge of inclusion and that the Constitution must be defended not only as a legal document, “but as the living conscience of our Republic”.
