Jodhpur, Feb 21: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant delivered a powerful message to graduating law students at National Law University’s 18th Convocation, urging them to transform law from a defensive “fortress” into an open “forum” where ordinary citizens can debate, assert rights, and challenge power.
Drawing from Mehrangarh Fort’s imposing presence, CJI Kant explained how early law protected society from chaos but must evolve in democracy. “Law cannot remain a fortress alone. It must become a forum where differences are debated, rights articulated, and power reasoned with,” he said.
He cautioned against law growing distant through legal jargon, quoting Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: “The life of the law has not been logic, but experience.” From Magna Carta’s anti-arrest protections to India’s Article 14 equality guarantee, law must adapt as society changes.
“Excellence must not become exclusion,” Kant warned the young lawyers. “Don’t rebuild a fortress of sophistication. Make law intelligible to all, not just the privileged few.”
Praising NLU’s alumni across judiciary, academia, and public service, he charged the graduates: “Carry forward not just degrees, but commitment to law as an open forum in our unfinished Republic.”
