Politics · India · 5 hrs ago
CJI Surya Kant tells NLSIU graduates law demands courage and fairness
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant addressed graduates at NLSIU’s convocation in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The ceremony had been postponed after students and alumni objected to his presence, and he attended two months after the opposition.
Kant said the legal profession requires courage, fairness and intellectual independence.
He urged lawyers to hear people before judging them and to disagree without denying their dignity.
He said legal education should help graduates understand situations beyond criminal and constitutional law.
Lawyers can serve society by righting wrongs, defending liberty and upholding the Constitution, he said.
He described the profession as a calling and said it would test graduates’ patience and ethics.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant told graduates at NLSIU in Bengaluru that law demands courage, intellectual independence and fairness.
He said legal professionals must hear people before judging, distinguish a person from a position and respect the dignity of those with whom they disagree.
Kant said young people questioning institutions is a healthy sign of a vibrant democracy and that the judiciary must listen to their concerns.
He also said judges must decide cases based on the Constitution, the law and the evidence, not the court of public opinion.
The convocation was held after it had been cancelled amid objections from some students and alumni to the proposed participation of Kant and Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra.
- Who
- CJI Surya Kant addressed graduates of the National Law School of India University.
- What
- He said the legal profession requires courage, fairness and intellectual independence, and that institutions should listen to young people.
- When
- Saturday, October 17, 2026.
- Where
- NLSIU in Bengaluru, India.
- Why
- Kant was presiding over the university’s 34th annual convocation as chancellor.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
NLSIU students opposed Kant’s presence on campus, according to the Times of India.
The convocation was cancelled amid objections from some students and alumni to the proposed participation of Kant and Manan Kumar Mishra.
NLSIU held its 34th annual convocation, with Kant presiding as chancellor and addressing graduates.
- University
- National Law School of India University (NLSIU)
- Convocation
- 34th annual convocation
- Location
- Bengaluru, India
- Chief guest and chancellor
- CJI Surya Kant
- Other proposed participant
- Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra
2 sources
What people are saying
I believe that young people questioning institutions is a healthy sign of a vibrant democracy. The judiciary is no exception.
This intellectual independence also calls for fairness: hearing before judging, distinguishing a person from a position and disagreeing without denying another person’s dignity
At the same time, it is important to understand that the judiciary functions through established constitutional processes.
Law will challenge your patience, test your ethics, and call upon the deepest reserves of your courage.