Speaking at the Bar Library Club of Calcutta High Court's bicentennial celebration on Friday was Chief Justice of India, Justice (Dr.) DY Chandrachud. Standing alongside Justices BR Gavai and Dipankar Datta of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, TS Sivagnanam, was also a member of the panel that included the Chief Justice.
In his opening remarks, Chief Justice Chandrachud acknowledged the role that organizations like the Bar Library Club have played in the functioning of the Indian legal system, not only at the Calcutta High Court but also at the Supreme Court of India, the Bombay High Court, and the CJI's parent HC.
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The Chief Justice admitted that, in the past, places like the Bar Library Club would be reserved for men only until trailblazers like Justice Ruma Pal and Justice Leila Seth (later deceased) rose to positions of leadership in the legal field.
He also recalled a resolution that the Bar Library Club passed in 1860, which said that no discussion held inside the club would be repeated outside of it.
The legal institutions must support their expIn addition, the Chief Justice addressed a few topics that he felt were urgently needed. Initially, he discussed the need to ensure maximum participation by raising the number of women in the legal field. He mentioned that there were now 36% more women practicing law at the district level and that nearly 60% of women were taking competitive exams, even in rural areas.
"We must act quickly to guarantee the inclusivity of our judicial systems. It is troubling that there are still no facilities meeting the needs of female lawyers, despite their presence. The legal institutions must support their exp Women frequently have to strike a balance between their personal and work lives. It's not always an easy exercise. The CJI stated that the legal institutions must support their expectation that they will fulfill both roles.
The CJI noted that, in the Supreme Court's 75-year history, only 13 women had been appointed as senior counsel; however, earlier this year, 12 women were promoted to the position of senior advocates.
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The legal institutions must support their exp He also emphasized that junior employees' pay should be commensurate with the amount of work they do. "We tend to think that juniors are there to learn, so what about paying them? In order to avoid having to take shortcuts in order to make the extra money necessary to survive in large cities like Calcutta or Mumbai, juniors come to work hoping to earn a respectable living," he stated.
Because the younger generation reflects the voice of society, CJI claimed that he learned more from his law clerks than he could teach them. "Level playing fields will allow people without connections to enter the legal profession. We will then genuinely be an equal opportunity employer, according to the CJI.
The CJI concluded by saying that although "judges come and go, we are just pilgrims on the path of justice, but the Bar is forever, founded on the principles of society- justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity," the Bar Library Club—which was founded in 1825—predated the Calcutta High Court.
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