Strength of legal system depends upon quality of judges, advocates and scholars: CJI

24/09/2026

New Delhi, Sep 23: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Wednesday said strength of the country's legal system depends upon the quality of judges, advocates, scholars and administrators, and behind every generation of legal professionals stands a generation of teachers.
The CJI inaugurated a monthly lecture series on law, justice and legal education organised at the Supreme Court. Eminent academician professor (Dr) Ranbir Singh became the first recipient of the annual 'Supreme Court Nyaya Shiksha Samman' during the event.
"We often approach the Constitution through the language of rights, limitations on power, and structures of governance, but it also embodies a larger commitment to creating the conditions in which individuals can participate meaningfully in society and pursue opportunities with dignity and equality," the CJI said during his address. He referred to the subject of the lecture, "The Constitution as a Charter of Opportunity: Democracy, Enterprise and Inclusive Nation-Building", which was delivered by professor Singh.
"I am sure professor Ranbir Singh will bring his scholarship and experience to bear on this distinctive question and help us examine how the constitutional promise of equality and opportunity can continue to respond to the aspirations of a changing India," the CJI said.
He said as the dimensions of law continue to evolve and new questions emerge, every judge, lawyer and academician remains, in one form or the other, a student of the discipline.
The CJI said the 'Nyaya Shiksha Samman' acknowledges teaching as a forum of public service because those, whom the teachers prepare, will ultimately shoulder the responsibility for interpreting, practising and developing law.
"The strength of our legal system depends, in considerable measure, upon the quality of its judges, advocates, scholars and administrators," he said.
"And behind every generation of legal professionals stands a generation of teachers who gave them their best understanding of the law, introduced them to its methods and values, and encouraged them to think critically and independently," the CJI said.
He said every profession has moments when it must pause from the demands of practice and reflect upon the ideas that eventually sustain it.
"The legal profession, perhaps more than most, depends upon such reflection because the law is constantly tested against changing circumstances, new questions, and the aspirations of a changing society," the CJI said.
He said a serious engagement with law cannot end with the resolution of cases and it must also leave room for learning, curiosity and debate.
He said courts must remain focused on deciding cases before them, and advocates on advancing arguments required in those cases. "But every legal system, dear friends, also benefits from occasions when we can step back from the urgency of individual disputes and reflect on the larger ideas that shape the law and its administration."
The CJI said his father spent his working life as a teacher and he grew up seeing the discipline, preparation and commitment that teaching requires.
"At home, we were often reminded that 'shiksha hi sabsebadadhanhai', education is the greatest wealth a person can possess," he said. "It is a thought that acquires a particular meaning in the legal profession where learning does not end with the completion of a degree."
The CJI said the inaugural 'NyayaShikshaSamman' has been conferred upon professor Singh whose contribution to legal education in India has been both extensive and enduring. He described professor Singh as "my teacher, my Guruji" and said when he had joined law, he was fortunate to get his mentorship, guidance, blessings and everything that a teacher gives to a student.
Attorney General R Venkataramani and senior advocate Pradeep Kumar Rai -- president of the Supreme Court Bar Association -- also addressed the gathering. To create a regular platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas on important contemporary issues concerning law, justice and society, the apex court, in a first of its kind initiative, had on September 5 announced a monthly lecture series on law, justice and legal education and also proposed an annual award.

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