IDIA Captures The Constitutional Spirit Of Social Progress: Justice DY Chandrachud

Justice DY Chandrachud last Sunday appreciated IDIA (Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education) for the initiatives taken by it to stay true to its motto and make the legal professional more inclusive.

Delivering the keynote address at the IDIA Law Annual Conference on ‘Law and Storytelling’ in New Delhi, he said, “The spirit of the Constitution in essence is the spirit of social progress, a spirit which is also captured in the values of the IDIA initiative and project.”

Explaining the idea behind the IDIA project, Justice Chandrachud asserted that IDIA is “dismantling social structures which exclude a vast section of society from being represented in the legal profession”.

Granting representation, he said, will also ensure “fresh infusion of experiences and narratives offered by these individuals” into the legal profession and it is the profession which will get richer by it.

He also elaborated on the advice that he usually gives to his law clerks and interns, saying, “I always tell my law clerks and interns, that in your reading of the big ticket cases, don’t forget the essential aspects of the civil procedure, the essential aspects of evidence, the essential aspects of all your basic legislation, which is good enough for you to tackle the esoteric issues which all young lawyers like to confront.”

Justice Chandrachud then reflected on the potential that these scholars carry with them, especially now that they have been handed with the tools to make themselves heard.

“With a legal education, each of you scholars has the potential to impact society. Of course, you will be armed with knowledge and objectivity, your stories teach each of us that empathy and compassion find a significant place in this profession,” he added.

You may read: If The Dialogical Role Of Law Is Forsaken, Law Becomes A Diabolical Instrument: Chandrachud.J At IDIA Conference by Mehal Jain