Supreme Court Judge Surya Kant paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri, remembering their values of justice, humility, and service. He highlighted their lasting legacy as a guiding force for India’s democracy.
New Delhi: On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, judges of the Supreme Court of India gathered at the court premises to honour the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries.
Supreme Court judges, including Justices Surya Kant, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, N. Kotiswar Singh, and K.V. Vishwanathan, paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue.
Justice Surya Kant, the senior-most judge of the apex court who will take charge as the Chief Justice of India on November 24, delivered a heartfelt address remembering the values of both leaders and their contributions to the nation.
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Justice Surya Kant said visiting the statue of Mahatma Gandhi filled him with a special sense of calmness and reflection.
He observed,
“There was a calm dignity in the air that seemed to embody his teachings of truth and non-violence,”
Remembering Gandhi as India’s moral compass, he said,
“we bow in reverence to Rashtra Pita Mahatma Gandhi, whose life and ideals illuminate the very path that humanity treads on.”
He praised Gandhi’s strength to mobilise people across every level of society during the freedom struggle.
Justice Kant said,
“His (Gandhi’s) ability to unite millions of Indians from each and every strata of society galvanised a widespread national movement that challenged British rule directly on the ground,”
Explaining Gandhi’s philosophy of simple living, rural empowerment, and self-reliance, he added,
“Gandhi’s focus on villages, self-reliance, and simple living allowed him to represent the majority of Indians, giving a voice to the rural masses in the larger political narrative and reinforced a unified national identity.”
Justice Kant also underlined that Gandhi’s idea of freedom was not limited only to political independence.
He noted,
“For Gandhiji, true freedom was measured by the dignity accorded to the most vulnerable and by the assurance of justice to those at the margins of society,”
Speaking about Gandhi’s larger vision, he said,
“His vision was not restricted to legal institutions alone, but encompassed the broader fabric of social life, where harmony, equity, and compassion were to be the guiding forces of human conduct.”
Reflecting on Gandhi’s background as a lawyer, Justice Kant observed that Gandhi’s ideas on justice went beyond traditional courtroom practices.
“As we contemplate his philosophy today, it is worth recalling that Gandhiji, like many of us here, was trained in the law. Yet his conception of conflict resolution transcended the adversarial methods of the courtroom and was convinced that even the fiercest disputants shared threads of common interest, and that through an appeal to both the heart and the mind, reconciliation was possible.”
He further highlighted Gandhi’s faith in humanity, saying,
“His profound faith in the inherent goodness of humanity breathed life into his ethos of conflict as an opportunity for harmony rather than division.”
Along with Gandhi, Justice Kant remembered former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who also shared his birthday on October 2.
He said,
“Nurtured by Gandhian thought from his earliest years in the freedom struggle, Shastri ji carried those values into the highest offices of public life. His tenure in governance was distinguished by humility, integrity, and a spirit of service,”
Justice Kant then recalled Shastri’s most famous slogan and its deep meaning.
He said,
“His enduring call — ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ — resonates even today as a timeless affirmation of patriotism, honouring both the soldier who safeguards the nation and the farmer who sustains it,”
He also explained how Shastri followed Gandhi’s path through his own leadership style.
He said,
“His leadership was grounded in accessibility and moral clarity, mirroring Gandhi’s vision that justice and dignity must extend to every household and every field,”
Highlighting the strong link between Gandhi and Shastri, Justice Kant said both leaders stood firmly on the foundation of justice.
He said,
“For Gandhi, justice was the moral compass of society, inseparable from truth and compassion. Shastri, in turn, translated that moral vision into the practice of governance – through simplicity, integrity, and an abiding inclusiveness that ensured no citizen felt excluded from the nation’s progress,”
In his concluding remarks, Justice Kant said their legacy must not be seen only as history but as a guiding call for today.
“Their legacy of justice, humility, and selfless service remains far more than a memory; it is a call urging us to uphold their principles in the ongoing journey of our democracy.”
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