In an era of women empowerment and feminism, a step taken by Current Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, to unveil a new statue of the “Women of justice”, showcasing some major changes from the earlier one. The women of justice is now holding the book of constitution in her hands replacing sword from the earlier one, in her other hand there is a measuring scale which earlier was unequal and the new one is equal that implies that law and justice is equal for every person without any discrimination on any basis, and the blindfold is now no more over there symbolizing that the law is no more blind, the law is equal, transparent and powerful for every citizen of the country. This would be one of the most memorable step taken by CJI DY Chandrachud. Though he has a history of outstanding career in the field of judiciary but the vision behind unveiling the new statue would change the definition of justice for generations. DY Chandrachud nominates the new CJI to be Justice Sanjiv Khanna who will hold the charge from 11th November 2024 following the retirement of DY Chandrachud on 10th November 2024.
About DY Chandrachud
Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud (D.Y. Chandrachud) is the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI). He assumed office on November 9, 2022, following the retirement of his predecessor, Justice U.U. Lalit. Born on November 11, 1959, he is the son of Y.V. Chandrachud, the longest-serving Chief Justice of India, making them the only father-son duo to hold the CJI position.
Academic Career:
- Education: He completed his B.A. with Honors in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Delhi University. He later pursued a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) from Harvard Law School.
- Legal Career: Before being appointed as a judge, Chandrachud practiced as an advocate in the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court. He was also a senior advocate and served as the Additional Solicitor General of India from 1998 to 2000.
Landmark Judgements
Justice DY Chandrachud is well known for his progressive judgements and impressive personality, some of the major judgements are as follows:
- Right to privacy (2017) – Justice K.S. Puttaswamy vs. Union of India – DY Chandrachud was the part of the 9 judge bench that declared the Right to Privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution. The issue arised at the time when biometrics were used to make aadhar card. The details used to make an individuals aadhar card used thumb and fingerprints with iris scanning which was a violation of privacy, and it was demanded that be aadhar constitutional but the rules for it should be regulated and a barrier should be there explaining the extent to which the government can collect the personal data. And in the judgement the “Right to privacy” was made a fundamental right in 2017.
2. Sabrimala Case (2019) – Indian Young Lawyers Association vs. State of Kerala – In the Sabrimala temple of Kerela, earlier the women’s between the age of 10 to 50 years of were banned from entering the temple considered impure for being menstruating. DY Chandrachud argued that the exclusion of women violated their right to equality and dignity under the Constitution. After the judgement worms were too allowed to enter and worship in Sabrimala temple. The step will be remembered especially by all the ladies of Kerela.
3. Ayodhya case (2019) – M. Siddiq (D) vs. Mahant Suresh Das and others (Ayodhya case) – Justice Chandrachud was a part of five judge bench that delivered the final verdict on Ayodhya Ram Mandir and Babri Masjid case in Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh. The case took a long time for the disputed land making controversy throughout the country, the hindu’s believed that it was the birth place of lord rama and the muslim’s claimed it to be the masjid built by mugals. The ayodhya verdict is considered to be the most historic and politically challenged dispute. The supreme court balanced the sentiments of both and allowed some other alternative land for the mosque to be built.
4. Live Streaming of court proceedings (2018)- Swapnil Tripathi vs. Supreme Court of India – Justice Chandrachud supported the decision considering the various benefits like more transparency in law proceedings, benefit for law students, trust in judiciary , trust of people in justice. Although there were certain challenges for the same like misuse of any information by media, privacy related cases or certain cases related to minors, technical issues and internet connectivity. Considering all the positive and negative impacts of the Supreme court of India initiated live streaming of some important cases followed by High court such as Gujrat high court.
