Bar upset with CJI’s administrative decisions, SC’s new ‘Lady Justice’ statue
#News Bureau October 24,2024
Recently, many changes have been made by the Supreme Court, which are now being strongly criticized. The recent changes include redesigning the statue of ‘Lady Justice’. The old statue traditionally had a blindfolded woman and a sword in her hand, but now the eyes of the new statue are open and the Constitution has been placed in place of the sword in her hand.
In a strongly worded letter to outgoing Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who led these decisions that brought changes in the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court Bar Association i.e. SCBA has objected to unilateral decisions. SCBA has passed a resolution against the changes made in the emblem of the Supreme Court and the statue of ‘Lady Justice’ without consulting its members.
The blindfold on the statue of the new woman judge installed in the Supreme Court has been removed and now the Constitution has been placed in place of a sword in one of her hands. It is said that this symbolizes that the law in India is neither blind nor punitive. While traditionally Lady Justice is depicted blindfolded, the new statue has open eyes to give the message that the law is not blind.
The SCBA resolution said, ‘The Executive Committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association has found that recently the Supreme Court has made some revolutionary changes unilaterally, such as change in its logo, change in the statue of Lady Justice, without consulting the bar. We are equal stakeholders in the administration of justice, but when these changes were proposed, they were never brought to our notice. We are completely unaware of the logic behind these changes.’
The scales represent balance and fairness, while the sword represented the power of law. However, the new statue is being seen as an attempt to leave behind the colonial legacy while also sending a message that the law is not blind in the new India. It now stands as a tall statue in the Judges’ Library in the Supreme Court.
The SCBA has also objected to the proposed museum in the former judges’ library, claiming that it had earlier requested a cafe-cum-lounge for its members as the existing cafeteria is inadequate to cater to their needs.
“Now apparently a museum has been proposed in the former Judges Library whereas we had demanded a library, cafe cum lounge for the members of the Bar as the present cafeteria is inadequate to meet the needs of the members of the Bar. We are concerned that despite our objection against the proposed museum in the former Judges Library, work for the museum has started,” the SCBA said in the resolution.
It further said, “We unanimously oppose the proposed museum in the high security zone and instead demand a library and a cafe cum lounge for our members.”
According to The Wire report, a senior official in the CJI’s office explained the rationale behind replacing the sword with the Constitution statue by saying, “The sword is a symbol of violence, but courts dispense justice according to constitutional laws. The new statue aims to reflect this principle.” Former SCBA president and senior advocate Adish C. Aggarwal said the outgoing CJI should have consulted all stakeholders before taking such a decision.
The CJI, whose term ends on November 10, has been criticised for his controversial statements and actions outside the court in the past few weeks. At an event last week, CJI Chandrachud claimed that God guided him in finding a solution to the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute.
