CJI Surya Kant emphasised that district courts are the true foundation of the legal profession, urging young lawyers to begin their litigation careers at the grassroots level where real professional training, discipline, and courtroom experience are developed.
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NEW DELHI: Emphasising the foundational role of district courts in shaping competent legal professionals, Supreme Court Judge Justice Surya Kant urged young lawyers to begin their litigation careers at the grassroots level rather than directly aspiring to practice in High Courts or the Supreme Court.
Speaking at a felicitation ceremony organised by the Bar Council of Delhi at the Delhi High Court, Justice Kant addressed what he described as a growing misconception among law graduates, particularly those from National Law Universities, that professional success begins only at constitutional courts.
“There is a misconception created that because ‘I am a law graduate from a national university’, the minimum place or standard for my practice should be either the High Court or the Supreme Court. We have to first address this misconception,”
he observed.
Justice Kant stressed that district courts provide the most comprehensive training for litigators, offering exposure to real-world legal issues, procedural discipline, and direct interaction with litigants.
“The entire training as a true professional starts in the district court. Whatever success I could gain in life, my foundation in the district court played an extremely vital role in that,”
he said.
Calling for systemic reform, the judge suggested that young lawyers should be incentivised to practice in district courts initially, before transitioning to higher forums.
Strongly criticising the long-standing practice of referring to district courts as “lower courts,” Justice Kant said such terminology undermines their importance in the justice delivery system.
“District courts have been misbranded, miscaptioned and wrongly defined as ‘lower courts’. They are the breeding centres of professional culture and the roots of the legal profession,”
he remarked.
He highlighted that for most citizens, access to justice begins at the district court level, making these courts the true custodians of grassroots justice.
“Justice does not primarily reside in appellate forums. The ordinary citizen’s first encounter with justice is in the district courts,”
he added.
Justice Kant made a heartfelt appeal to senior members of the Bar to actively mentor young lawyers and pass on their institutional knowledge.
“The knowledge you have, please give it to the next generation of lawyers. So that for generations, the district court lawyer is known for his professional calibre,”
he urged.
Reflecting on his early career, Justice Kant noted that some cases he filed as a young advocate are still being decided today, underscoring the slow but steady nature of the judicial process.
“That is the system,”
he remarked.
Concluding his address, Justice Kant emphasised that courts and lawyers are integral partners in the justice delivery system and must work collectively to meet public expectations.
“We will successfully face challenges when all of us act together as the same team. We are co-partners in the justice delivery system,”
he stated.
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The event was attended by Justice Vikram Nath, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chairman of the Bar Council of India Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, and several judges of the Delhi High Court.
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