Institute of Legal and Management Studies

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai today said that legal education is much more than producing professionals for the bar and the bench. It must also produce citizens who are committed to the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

"In my view, legal education is not merely about producing professionals for the bar and the bench. It is about cultivating citizens who are committed to the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity."

Equally important is to inculcate ethics in legal education through deep-seated respect for constitutional ideas, as it shapes the value system and guides the conduct in the professional life of students, he remarked.

"Law schools, therefore, carry a profound responsibility: to cultivate in every student a deep-seated respect for constitutional ideals. They must embed in their pedagogy the understanding that law is not merely a profession, but a vocation of public service, grounded in justice and human dignity."

CJI Gavai today inaugurated the first Prof. (Dr.) N.R. Madhava Menon Memorial Lecture on the topic 'Legal and Justice Education@2024:An Agenda for 100 Years of Independence'.

Remembering Dr Menon's contribution to legal education by introducing an integrated five-year law programme that revolutionised legal education in India, and also establishing institutions like NLSIU Bangalore and NUJS Kolkata, CJI Gavai shared his futuristic idea of the kind of legal professionals India would need when it completes 100 years of Independence.

Legal education as a tool of empowerment must break barriers

He said that it must be based on foundational principles like professional skills, social justice, technological advancements, and a steadfast commitment to the ideals of the Constitution. At the same time, CJI Gavai acknowledged that the issue of accessibility to law and legal education exists in many parts of the country.

"We must confront, with honesty and urgency, the issue of accessibility to law and legal education. For far too long, geographical, economic, and linguistic barriers have acted as formidable obstacles, keeping marginalised and vulnerable citizens distant from our courts and legal institutions. In many parts of the country, the nearest court or law school remains physically out of reach, creating a justice gap for those living in rural and remote areas."

CJI said that if law is to be truly a tool of empowerment, it must dismantle the barriers such as economic disadvantage and linguistic exclusion.

"We must reimagine legal education by expanding its reach through technology, promoting instruction in regional languages, strengthening legal aid, and creating pathways for first-generation learners. Only by doing so can we ensure that access to law and justice becomes not a privilege for the few, but a lived reality for every citizen of this Republic."

Law schools must move beyond 'what did the court hold' to 'why did the court hold'

CJI Gavai remarked that law schools must move beyond teaching what the court held to 'why' the court held in order to nurture not just critical thinking but also allow students to learn to challenge the systematic exclusions in society.

"Law schools should also move beyond the method of teaching of “what did the court hold” to “why did the court hold”. This unpacking of judicial philosophy will teach students the ethos of the Constitution while also reflecting upon the judge's dilemmas. Introducing interdisciplinary texts alongside legal texts inspires students to explore the underlying intersectionality in any issue.

Our classrooms must be places where critical thinking is not only nurtured but also encouraged, where students learn to challenge systemic exclusions in society. This will indeed equip the future lawyers with the intellectual and ethical depth to be the guardians of the Constitution."

Lastly, CJI Gavai also cautioned that most skilled lawyers from the National Law Schools and the five-year integrated law programme ultimately choose the corporate world. Whereas equally skilled lawyers are needed in society to address various issues, including the need to bring social change.

"Legal education must not confine itself to producing technically proficient lawyers alone. It must encourage young minds to engage with the pressing issues of our times, to confront the realities of inequality, conflict, and democratic fragility."