CJI BR Gavai emphasized that dignity cannot exist without privacy, linking it with life, liberty, and freedom as core constitutional values ensuring autonomy and human rights protection.
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NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai recently delivered the 11th Dr. L.M. Singhvi Memorial Lecture on the theme “Human Dignity as the Soul of the Constitution – Judicial Reflections in the 21st Century.” His address illuminated how dignity lies at the core of India’s constitutional framework and judicial interpretation.
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CJI Gavai emphasised that human dignity finds true meaning in privacy, autonomy, and freedom of choice. He observed,
“Dignity cannot exist without privacy. Both reside within the inalienable values of life, liberty and freedom which the Constitution has recognised.”
Quoting the landmark KS Puttaswamy v. Union of India (Aadhaar judgment), he reiterated that dignity is inseparable from the principles of liberty, equality, fraternity, and justice.
The CJI underlined that dignity underpins autonomy, particularly in sensitive areas like reproductive rights, medical treatment, and end-of-life decisions. Referring to Suchita Srivastava v. Chandigarh Administration (2009) and Common Cause v. Union of India (2018), he noted:
“A person cannot truly live with dignity if they are denied the ability to make choices regarding their body, actions, or life circumstances.”
Tracing the jurisprudence of dignity, CJI Gavai highlighted how courts have invoked dignity to safeguard the rights of prisoners, workers, women, and persons with disabilities. He recalled Sunil Batra (II) v. Delhi Administration, where the Court declared,
“In the eyes of law, prisoners are persons, not animals.”
This recognition paved the way for broader judicial application of dignity, extending into labour rights, gender equality, disability rights, and even digital access.
The CJI also stressed that dignity was central to the Preamble of the Constitution, linking it with fraternity, unity, and integrity. Protecting every citizen’s dignity, he said, nurtures belonging, solidarity, and harmony in a diverse nation.
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CJI Gavai cited his own judgments, including those directing the rehabilitation of hand-rickshaw pullers in Matheran and rulings linking home demolitions to the right to live with dignity. These decisions, he said, affirm dignity as a guiding principle in judicial interpretation.
Reflecting on Dr. L.M. Singhvi’s legacy, CJI Gavai reminded that the Constitution was designed as a living document:
“By anchoring constitutional interpretation in dignity, the Supreme Court has ensured that the Constitution remains a living instrument, capable of responding to evolving societal challenges while remaining true to its core values.”
In his closing words, CJI Gavai returned to the wisdom of the Puttaswamy judgment:
“To live is to live with dignity… Dignity is the core which unites the fundamental rights because the fundamental rights seek to achieve for each individual the dignity of existence.”
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