Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Justice Vikram Nath Says Judges Must Be Impartial, Never Indifferent
Justice Vikram Nath spoke about how judges should make decisions.
He said judges must treat people impartially, meaning they should not decide based on who someone is.
But they should not be indifferent to the people and circumstances involved.
Nath said compassion does not mean giving someone an unfair advantage or being lenient.
He shared these views at a lecture in New Delhi on Monday.
The lecture was about understanding people when applying the law.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant opened the session.
Justice Vikram Nath said judges must be impartial but never indifferent.
He said compassion in adjudication is neither favour nor leniency.
Nath delivered the second Prof. (Dr) N R Madhava Menon Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on Monday.
The annual lecture focused on “Judging with Compassion: Human Understanding in the Practice of Law”.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated the session.
- Who
- Justice Vikram Nath delivered the lecture; Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated the session.
- What
- Nath spoke about impartiality and compassion in judging.
- When
- Monday; the date is not specified.
- Where
- New Delhi.
- Why
- The lecture addressed human understanding and compassion in the practice of law.
Compassion in judging
Impartiality in judging
How judges should approach people and cases
Compassion in judging
Judges should weigh cases with care and show human understanding; compassion is not favour or leniency.
Impartiality in judging
Judges must decide impartially, without considering who stands before them.
- Speaker
- Justice Vikram Nath
- Lecture
- Second Prof. (Dr) N R Madhava Menon Memorial Lecture
- Lecture topic
- “Judging with Compassion: Human Understanding in the Practice of Law”
- Location
- New Delhi
- Inaugurated by
- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant
- Nath's role
- Executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority