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Law Must Be Understood by the People It Governs: CJI Surya Kant
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News18•05-10-2026, 19:45
Law Must Be Understood by the People It Governs: CJI Surya Kant
- •Chief Justice of India Surya Kant emphasized that the law's primary duty is to be understood by the people it governs and to understand them in return.
- •Speaking at the second Prof. (Dr) N R Madhava Menon Memorial Lecture, the CJI stated that judicial compassion is the discipline of seeing the whole human situation behind a case.
- •Justice Kant called for legal aid at police stations, safer spaces for vulnerable witnesses, and judgments written in a language that litigants can easily read.
- •Justice Vikram Nath noted that while technology can make justice faster, it can never replace empathy, human judgment, and a judge's lived experience.
Key Questions Answered
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant emphasized that the law's first duty is to be understood by the people it governs and to understand them in return, noting that compassion in judging involves seeing the whole human situation behind a case rather than relying on mere procedure or caprice.
The CJI called for legal aid at police stations, secure spaces where children and survivors can testify without facing the accused, and judgments written in accessible languages that litigants can easily read.
Justice Vikram Nath stated that while technology can make the judicial process faster and improve efficiency, it can never replace empathy, human judgment, and a judge's lived experience.
