On the 79th Independence Day, CJI BR Gavai pays tribute to the unsung heroes of the nation who shaped India’s freedom, reminding citizens of justice, equality, and responsibility.
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NEW DELHI: As India marked its 79th Independence Day, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice BR Gavai reaffirmed that freedom is not merely a day of celebration, but an ongoing commitment to remembrance, responsibility, and justice.
Speaking at a solemn ceremony organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at the Supreme Court premises, with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and several senior judges in attendance, the Chief Justice took the audience on a journey that connected India’s historical struggles with its constitutional responsibilities today.
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CJI Gavai began by evoking the sights and sounds of Independence Day, the fluttering tricolour, the national anthem echoing across the country, and reminded citizens that the day must also be one of remembrance.
He highlighted often-overlooked milestones in India’s freedom movement:
- The Santhal Rebellion of 1855, where leaders Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu led thousands in a fight against the East India Company to protect tribal land and dignity.
- The 1857 uprising, a defining revolt against colonial rule.
- The reformist efforts of Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, who challenged caste and gender-based oppression.
- The leadership of Birsa Munda, revered today as Dharti Aaba (Father of the Earth), who called upon his people to reclaim their dignity from colonial exploitation.
By invoking these struggles, the CJI reminded us that India’s freedom was not just won in urban centres or through political negotiation, but also in the villages, hills, and forests, where countless unsung heroes laid down their lives.
The Chief Justice underlined that independence was a collective achievement:
“Our freedom was forged not in one place, nor by one people, but by the courage of many, speaking in different tongues yet united by one dream of a prosperous and equal India.”
He recalled Rabindranath Tagore’s vision from Gitanjali, a prayer for a nation “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”, and the poet’s renunciation of knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
He further invoked Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Dr BR Ambedkar, emphasising that their diverse contributions shaped a freedom struggle rooted not just in political liberty, but also in social justice. Quoting Ambedkar, he reminded:
“Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy.”
In a poignant reflection, CJI Gavai linked the past to the present by celebrating the rise of President Droupadi Murmu, a daughter of the Santhal community.
“It is the destiny of India that the Santhal community, which was among the first to rise against the British in 1855, now has its daughter holding the highest constitutional office in the land.”
This, he said, symbolises India’s progress, yet also reminds us of the unfinished task of building a just, equal, and inclusive nation.
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Turning to the legal fraternity, the CJI placed a solemn duty on judges and lawyers:
- Lawyers, he said, must treat every case with seriousness, for what seems trivial to one may be a matter of dignity and survival to another.
- Judges must interpret the law not narrowly, but in the spirit of the Constitution, ensuring that liberty, equality, and fraternity are lived realities for all citizens.
“Beyond the letter of the law, we must strive to give a broader, more purposive interpretation to the values of the Constitution. Only then will Tagore’s prayer be answered, only then will Gandhi’s Swaraj be real, and only then will Ambedkar’s idea of democracy be complete.”
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The ceremony concluded with a collective pledge—not just to salute the tricolour, but to uphold the spirit it represents. Independence Day, as CJI Gavai reminded, is not the end of a struggle but a living responsibility—to protect freedom, deepen justice, and strengthen fraternity.
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