Honest multitude outshines dishonest few: CJI at convocation after student stir

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday criticised what he called attempts by “external forces” to obstruct the National Law School of India University’s convocation, weeks after a section of students opposed his proposed attendance.Addressing the rescheduled ceremony in Bengaluru as the university’s Chancellor, the CJI praised students for choosing “the sanctity of open discourse over the cowardice of suppression”.“A few unexpected and unfortunate circumstances, driven by certain external forces, brought with them a sense of uncertainty, and for a while, it seemed that this occasion might not unfold quite as we had hoped,” he said.He did not identify the external forces he referred to. “You have pulled back the veil of deception, revealing that the will of an honest multitude can outshine the schemes of a dishonest few,” he told the graduating students.NLSIU had announced on August 27 that its 34th convocation, scheduled for September 12, had been cancelled because of “unavoidable circumstances”. The decision came amid opposition from a section of students to the proposed participation of the CJI and the Bar Council of India chairman, following the controversy at NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad.The ceremony was subsequently rescheduled for October 17. The revised date was approved by the university’s Executive Council and General Council at meetings chaired by the CJI in his capacity as Chancellor.‘DISAGREE WITHOUT DENYING DIGNITY’In his address, the CJI also urged graduates to cultivate intellectual independence, listen to differing viewpoints and preserve the dignity of those they disagreed with.“This intellectual independence also calls for fairness: hearing before judging, distinguishing a person from a position and disagreeing without denying another person’s dignity,” he said.Legal education, he said, went beyond mastering statutes and precedents. It required students to engage with people who saw the world differently and listen to voices that were often unheard.“The law, as you will soon discover in its living form, is not static. It breathes and evolves through the minds and actions of those who practice it,” he said.The CJI cautioned graduates against compromising their integrity for convenience or professional gain, saying honesty would shape their reputation.“There will come times when compromise tempts, when expediency entices, and when others take breezy shortcuts,” he said, urging them to remain guided by the values they had learnt at the university.- Ends