New Delhi: In a candid and thought-provoking address at the 11th Biennial Meeting of the Commonwealth Judicial Educators (CJE), Chief Justice of India Surya Kant delivered a powerful message on the nature of judicial leadership, urging greater honesty, humility, and responsiveness within the justice system.
Rejecting the notion of judicial infallibility, the Chief Justice said that courts are not weakened by human imperfection but by the refusal to acknowledge it. “Judicial leadership does not suffer because judges are imperfect; it suffers when we pretend they are not,” he observed, drawing sustained attention from the gathering of judges and legal scholars.
Justice Kant stressed that judges, like the institutions they lead, remain capable of growth, correction, and improvement. He described this as a “more honest premise” for judicial education, one that would strengthen rather than undermine public confidence in courts.
He also called for a radical rethinking of judicial leadership, stating that it cannot be confined to administrative authority or institutional hierarchy. Instead, leadership must reflect an intellectual and ethical orientation rooted in constitutional values.
A major theme of the address was access to justice for ordinary citizens. The Chief Justice warned that justice cannot remain an abstract ideal available only to the legally empowered. It must produce real outcomes for the marginalised and vulnerable sections of society.
“Justice must reach the last person standing in the line,” he said, emphasising that public faith in the judiciary depends on accessibility, responsiveness, and humanity.
Justice Kant underlined that accessibility is not merely about physical access to courts but also about timely and effective resolution of disputes. Justice, he said, must be practical — delivered within reasonable time, with sensitivity to the needs of litigants.
Highlighting the foundations of public trust, the Chief Justice said courts must continuously earn confidence through clarity of reasoning, transparency, and consistency in decision-making. Citizens trust institutions when they understand how and why decisions are made.
He further noted that judges must engage not only with doctrinal law but also with its philosophical and ethical underpinnings. Comparative constitutional dialogue, historical understanding, and reflective thinking, he said, are essential for meaningful judicial education.
Describing courts as guardians of constitutional identity, Justice Kant observed that they must adapt to changing realities while preserving core constitutional values. In an increasingly interconnected world, he added, engagement with global judicial communities is becoming indispensable.
The Chief Justice also advocated the creation of a Commonwealth-level apex body for judicial education to foster collaboration, exchange of ideas, and strengthening of democratic legal systems across jurisdictions.
Underlying the entire address was a subtle but unmistakable message: a mature judicial system must be willing to introspect and correct itself. Acknowledging mistakes does not diminish authority; it enhances legitimacy and reinforces the rule of law.
Justice Kant’s remarks were widely seen as a reaffirmation that the ultimate purpose of the judiciary is service to the people, especially those with the least resources and the greatest need for protection.
By placing the common citizen at the centre of judicial functioning, the Chief Justice articulated a vision of justice that is not distant or abstract but humane, transparent, and accountable.
Legal observers described the address as one of the most forthright articulations in recent years of the need for a people-centric judiciary — one that remains strong not because it is beyond criticism, but because it is open to learning, reform, and fairness.
