Speaking at NLU Jodhpur’s convocation, CJI Surya Kant said law must move from a “fortress” to a “forum” to ensure greater accessibility and fairness. He urged young lawyers to make the legal system simple, inclusive and responsive to society’s changing needs.
Jodhpur: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday delivered a powerful and thought-provoking speech at the 18th Convocation of National Law University, Jodhpur, urging young law graduates to view the law as a living and evolving system rather than a rigid structure.
Addressing the gathering on the theme, “From Fortress to Forum: Law in an Unfinished Republic”, he called upon the new generation of lawyers to play an active role in shaping a more accessible and responsive legal system in India.
During his address, the Chief Justice said that
“law cannot remain a fortress erected to protect society from arbitrariness”,
and stressed that it must instead become a “forum” where citizens can openly discuss disagreements, assert their rights and question authority in a constitutional manner.
Explaining his theme, he asked students and legal professionals to see the law not as a closed and rigid structure, but as a public space that grows and changes with society. Referring to the historic Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, he used it as a symbolic example to explain how law has evolved over time.
“A fortress is built to defend, to guard against disorder and uncertainty. In its earliest conception, law resembled such a structure, erected to protect society from arbitrariness and chaos,”
he said.
However, he clarified that in modern constitutional democracies like India, the law cannot stay confined to such a defensive role.
“But in a constitutional democracy, he said, law cannot remain a fortress alone. It must transform into a forum where differences are debated, rights articulated and power reasoned with,”
he added.
The Chief Justice explained that this idea of moving “from fortress to forum” is not just about legal theory but reflects the larger journey of democratic societies. According to him, this transformation also defines the responsibility that lies ahead for the graduating class entering the legal profession.
He cautioned students against assuming that law is a finished or fixed discipline. Unlike subjects such as mathematics or physics, law does not have permanent answers. It keeps changing as society changes. Quoting American jurist Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., he reminded the audience that the life of the law has not been logic but experience, emphasising that real-world realities shape legal principles.
The CJI said that law evolves because society itself evolves, and its credibility depends on how effectively it responds to new challenges, social realities and constitutional values.
Looking at history, he referred to the ‘Magna Carta’ as one of the earliest examples of limiting arbitrary power. He explained that it marked the beginning of the idea that rulers must also be accountable to law.
“What began as a limited safeguard against arbitrary imprisonment eventually expanded into doctrines of due process, equality and dignity,”
he asserted.
Drawing a parallel with India’s constitutional framework, he pointed out that Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law, has also undergone significant development through judicial interpretation. It has moved beyond a narrow understanding and has become a powerful tool to ensure fairness and prevent arbitrariness in governance.
At the same time, the Chief Justice issued a warning about the dangers of making law inaccessible to ordinary people. He said,
“Law, having once liberated, may distance itself again, wrapped in jargon and complexity, accessible only to a privileged few.”
He urged young lawyers to ensure that the legal system remains simple, clear and inclusive.
“He urged the young lawyers to “resist rebuilding a fortress of sophistication, and not to make the law arcane, but intelligible; not to narrow the forum, but to widen it.””
In his concluding remarks, the CJI praised National Law University, Jodhpur, for its academic excellence and the achievements of its alumni in the Bar, judiciary, academia and public service. However, he reminded the institution and its students that excellence should not lead to exclusion.
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He clearly stated,
“Excellence must not become exclusion”.
Finally, addressing the graduating class directly, he encouraged them to carry forward not just academic qualifications but a deeper commitment to constitutional values and public service.
“As the graduating class steps into professional life, they must carry forward not merely degrees, but a commitment to ensuring that law in India remains an open forum in an unfinished Republic,”
he asserted.
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