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Shri M. Hamid Ansari ji, Hon. Vice President of India, Shri Narendrabhai Modi ji, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Gujarat State, Justice Shri Anil R. Dave ji, Hon’ble Justice, Supreme Court of India and Visitor of the Gujarat National Law University, Shri Dileep Sanghani ji, Hon’ble Law Minister, Gujarat State, Dr. Bimal N. Patel ji, Director, Gujarat National Law University, Faculty members, students and staff of the University, ladies & gentlemen.
I am very happy to be present at the inauguration of the new campus of the Gujarat National Law University at Gandhinagar. It is also a matter of great pleasure that Shri Hamid Ansari ji, Hon’ble Vice President of India is with us to inaugurate this campus. It is a delightful experience to see bright lively faces of the younger generation and the seasoned and dynamic teachers, who have taken the great responsibility of moulding our younger generation towards a promising future. On this occasion, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you especially when most of you are associated with the legal education and legal profession at large.
Our modern world is a world full of opportunities for betterment of human life and society in terms of comforts, luxuries, benefits, utilities and the information and knowledge of so many things. Today, ample opportunities are available to us to make our life positive and assertive. Thanks to Science and Technology and development in the field of Information that all of us are assured of a better future.
It is our common experience that scientific development without a solid foundation of humanity is dangerous to civilization. Science can help us to improve human life only if our laws and legal system come forward pro-actively for guidance and protection of the weak, the poor and the downtrodden. By guidance, I mean providing information to the poor to make them aware about the social transformation and their human rights and by protection it is meant that the basic human rights are constituently guaranteed coupled with corresponding duties. If this could be achieved, science could help humanity at large for a better world order.
As law students, you are familiar with our Constitution and its preamble which guarantees social, economic and political justice and fundamental rights ensuring the dignity of the human beings. These values enshrined in the preamble of our Constitution reflect the spirit of humanity. In my opinion, administration of justice is of vital importance for building fair and stable structures of nations. In our own country also justice was governed by the “”Dharma’’. The very objective of the judicial process is to discover the truth. You might recall that the words enshrined in our national emblem “Satya Mev Jayate" also mean that ‘’truth alone prevails’’. I would urge to you ensure the same, while you argue in courts of law and deliver judgements or deal with legal matters. As students of laws, it is your duty to understand this and reflect the values enshrined in the preamble of our Constitution. In this way, as legal fraternity, you would better serve the society.
Equally, important is the development of the spirit of conscience, which should be a reference point in all our thinking because it is the only thing which will give understanding to us to discriminate between what is right and what is wrong. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, always kept the concept of service of humanity dear to his heart. He always solicited guidance from within which he used to refer to as the voice of his inner conscience. In my view, you should read our Indian Constitution and the principles imbibed therein for a better understanding of the core values. As students and practitioners of law, these core values would help you to serve the society with humanity and would make you better human beings.
Within our constitutional framework, the judiciary has been conceived as the upholder of democracy and human values. Many people believe that doors of the judiciary should be open for all. However, our experience tells us that recourse to justice has always been an expensive proposition. Many of the disadvantageous sections of the society are unable to afford the huge costs of litigations. This makes access to justice for all, an unfulfilled mission, although, our Constitution has guaranteed free legal aid to the weaker sections of the society. I would urge you all to ensure effective delivery mechanism of justice as part of your social obligations. If you could do this successfully, it would be your positive contribution to the social welfare and creation of a just society.
As youth, you are a great source of energy, enthusiasm, ambition and power. If your energies and youthful aspirations could be properly channelised for progress through social change, these could work miracles. Right type of environment is needed for this. I know that Gujarat National Law University has been recognized as a role model University in legal education. Some of the initiatives, activities and programmes undertaken by the University deserve appreciation. I congratulate all those who are instrumental in this.
In the end, I would like to extend my best wishes to all of you at the inauguration of the new campus. May God bless you. Thank you.
Jai Hind Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat. |
