Former CJI DY Chandrachud said doctors go beyond treatment and act as custodians of public welfare by upholding dignity, equality, and the right to life. He stressed that healthcare plays a silent but powerful role in keeping constitutional values alive.
Former Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud delivered an important and thought-provoking speech at the 11th Founder’s Oration held at Ganga Hospital in Coimbatore, where he spoke about how the Constitution is not only a legal document but also a living idea that is practised every day through acts of care, responsibility, and service.
Speaking on the theme
“Constitutional culture, citizenship, and civic virtue – a moral compass for the nation”,
he explained in very clear terms how places like hospitals play a vital role in keeping constitutional values alive in real life.
ALSO READ: Ex-CJI DY Chandrachud Backs UCC: “Important to Realise This Goal of the Constitution”
He began by highlighting that constitutional values are not shaped only in courts and government buildings but also in spaces where people suffer and others step forward to help.
He said,
“The constitutional culture is shaped in places where human vulnerability meets human responsibility.”
He connected this idea to the role of doctors and healthcare workers and said that their work goes far beyond medical treatment.
According to him, doctors do not work only as service providers but as guardians of society’s well-being.
He stated,
“doctors do not see themselves merely as providers of care; rather, they view themselves as custodians of public welfare.”
Explaining further, he described how healthcare directly supports the spirit of the Constitution by protecting dignity and equality.
He said,
“A hospital that restores a patient’s mobility or prevents a family from sinking into poverty due to an accident is doing much more than just medical work; it is enabling citizenship. It ensures that a constitutional promise – whether of equality, dignity, or the right to life – is not an abstraction but a lived experience. There is something profoundly constitutional about this ethic of service.”
Through this, he underlined that when health workers save lives and protect families from financial collapse, they are actually making constitutional rights meaningful for ordinary citizens.
Justice Chandrachud openly acknowledged that medical professionals do not take an oath to the Constitution like judges or lawmakers. However, he stressed that their daily actions reflect constitutional values deeply.
ALSO READ: Ex-CJI DY Chandrachud: ‘Law Is Not Just About Justice; It’s A Tool For Transformation’
He said,
“None of those in health care take an oath to the Constitution. Yet, they perform actions that uphold constitutional values. Care is a constitutional act. Dignity is its language.”
He praised institutions like Ganga Hospital for becoming real-life examples of how citizenship and civic virtue can be practised through service and compassion.
He went on to describe how constitutional culture grows silently through everyday acts of kindness and responsibility.
He remarked,
“constitutional culture is not cultivated only in courtrooms, classrooms, or legislatures. It is shaped in places where human vulnerability meets human responsibility – in emergency wards, ambulances, counselling rooms, and operating theatres, where the constitution, though unnamed, is practised.”
He also remembered the healthcare sector’s contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the true value of the Constitution is seen not in speeches or ceremonies but in real moments where human dignity is either respected or ignored.
Explaining this idea further, he said,
“A Constitution survives because a society is willing to confront its own shortcomings, to examine how power is used, how the vulnerable are treated, and how dignity is honoured in the small, unrecorded corners of public life. The Constitution is not sustained by text alone; it must be lived.”
He pointed out that a mature society is one that accepts differences and learns to manage disagreements without silencing voices. In his words,
“The Constitution expects us to meet disagreement with maturity, not suppression.”
He described this as a sign of strong civic culture and added,
“It’s a quiet but powerful lesson that respecting differences is not a matter of convenience, but a measure of our civic culture. Constitutional culture also teaches us self-restraint.”
While discussing the idea of citizenship, Justice Chandrachud said that it starts with recognising individuality and personal identity.
He explained that true citizenship involves understanding that everyone has their own story and dignity. He mentioned that civic virtue is not only an individual quality but something that society builds together and passes collectively to future generations.
Touching upon modern challenges, he also spoke about the negative impact of social media on meaningful understanding.
He warned that excessive information does not always lead to wisdom and said,
“We live in a time where information is abundant, but understanding is scarce.”
He also appreciated the efforts of Ganga Hospital and its leadership for contributing to social causes beyond medical excellence. He referred to Dr S Rajasekaran’s role in raising concerns about India’s poor road safety conditions before the Supreme Court, which later led to important judicial directions.
Highlighting this connection between professional responsibility and constitutional awareness, he concluded by saying,
“This partnership between professional insight and constitutional engagement makes institutions like Ganga truly remarkable.”
Through his speech, Justice DY Chandrachud clearly conveyed that constitutional values are not limited to legal interpretations but are reflected in how society treats its most vulnerable people.
His address at Coimbatore strongly reinforced the idea that hospitals, healthcare workers, and institutions like Ganga Hospital are crucial in turning the Constitution into a living reality for citizens, making dignity, equality, and justice not just promises, but everyday experiences.
Click Here To Read More Reports on Surya Kant
