jurists-from-india

"I for one always considered the challenges of the job and the hardships of life to be stimulating and intoxicating making the grit and determination stronger"

"thumb|I for one always considered the challenges of the job and the hardships of life to be stimulating and intoxicating making the grit and determination strongerAs an Institution, it is time that we heavily invest in vigilance functions that would keep our Court Complexes, our judicial processes, our Judges and our staff safe from the clutches of such local influences who do not have any allegiance to our Institution but use our processes to carry out their nefarious designs."

"The indifference of such stakeholders to the dignity of our Institution has reached new lows in the recent past, as rank hooliganism and intimidatory behaviour has become the order of the day in some pockets of our Court system. This has to be acknowledged, so that its vicious designs are defeated and the glory of our Institution stands uncompromised."

"Report cards are prepared at the end of the tenure of judge. The message is clear: a good report will come at a cost; if you are not prepared to confirm to a particular way of thinking and act accordingly, you will earn the dubious reputation of having compromised and surrendered the independence of the judiciary."

"No person from Assam could adorn the chair of CJI except Ranjan Gogoi […] He will inspire generations to come."

"Ranjan Gogoi's great experience will add to standard of debate in Rajya Sabha."

"As an Institution, we have tried to deliver much more than what is reasonably possible, yet, today each of us is required to deal with new challenges, which unfortunately arise from within and outside of our Court Complexes and our judicial processes."

"Right to legal aid means the right to quality legal aid. Commitment to quality must be there in the whole organisation."

"I chose not to shirk what I inherited from my predecessors but to bite the bullet and to lead the adjudication of one of India’s oldest-standing disputes.thumb|I think the time has come for the right-thinking majority to speak up. They can no longer enjoy the comfort of the non-confrontationist approach, staying clear of issues and being content that they have been spared the unfortunate. For, if unchecked, tomorrow the monster may devour them too."

"Who goes to the court? You go to the court and regret. If you go to the court, you would be washing dirty linen in the court. You will not get a verdict […] You want a 5 trillion dollar economy but you have a ramshackled judiciary."

"Judicial activism is not the same as judicial overreach. The former is a peacemaker; the latter is a trespasser."

"The doctrine of basic structure has a very debatable jurisprudential basis."

"In terms of personal decency, values, ethics and integrity, the present Chief Justice of India is extremely well regarded. Even when critics disagree with his judicial view, his value system has never been questioned."

"I congratulate Justice Ranjan Gogoi ji on taking oath as the Chief Justice of India. His experience, wisdom, insight and legal knowledge will benefit the country greatly."

"I will continue to act without fear and decide whatever cases I have to decide. Nobody can stop me."

"Most of the people who studied court and law are oblivious of the experiences of the ordinary people who undertake the journey to get justice from the court. The judges are called on to decide their fate are witnesses to their fate and grit. Task of a judge, to my mind, therefore, is to sit with text of law in context of life."

"thumb|Justice is delivered at doorsteps of those who seek it. It is a constitutional promise. In fact, it is a constitutional mandate.Justice is delivered at doorsteps of those who seek it. It is a constitutional promise. In fact, it is a constitutional mandate. Whether we are substantially achieving it is a matter that needs introspection. An awareness of much more needed to be done and the complete realisation of the promise of access to justice assumes importance."

"Efforts must be made to secure concerted engagement of young minds in understanding and utilising that knowledge for the benefit of the society. Not only law colleges but the students of schools and colleges must be included in the outreach programme. Students and young persons have the potential to become the ambassadors of justice.thumb|The indifference of such stakeholders to the dignity of our Institution has reached new lows in the recent past, as rank hooliganism and intimidatory behaviour has become the order of the day in some pockets of our Court system. This has to be acknowledged, so that its vicious designs are defeated and the glory of our Institution stands uncompromised."

"thumb|The bench requires its judges to maintain silence, while exercising their freedoms. That's not to say that judges do not speak. They do speak, but do so only out of functional necessity, and no more. Bitter truths must remain in memory.While you have the Bar whose members can exercise their freedom of speech to the extent of even pushing the boundaries of such freedom, the bench requires its judges to maintain silence, while exercising their freedoms. That's not to say that judges do not speak. They do speak, but do so only out of functional necessity, and no more. Bitter truths must remain in memory."

"There is a practice in the bar that when a judgeship is offered you don't refuse. When the President […] makes an offer, you don't refuse."

"You are not questioning anything. We are in a conversation."

"[[File:The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressing at the inauguration of the National Conference, organised by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-record Association (SCAORA), in New Delhi on September 01, 2018.JPG|thumb|Who goes to the court? You go to the court and regret. If you go to the court, you would be washing dirty linen in the court. You will not get a verdict […] You want a 5 trillion dollar economy but you have a ramshackled judiciary.]]I don't think I have ever compromised in my life […] A person who compromises has surrendered. I don't surrender."

"I did not pull out Ayodhya from cold storage. I did not resurrect. It was a responsibility my predecessor gave to me […] I had two options - to run or to fight. Justice Bobde says I come from a family of warriors. I fought."

"I think the time has come for the right-thinking majority to speak up. They can no longer enjoy the comfort of the non-confrontationist approach, staying clear of issues and being content that they have been spared the unfortunate. For, if unchecked, tomorrow the monster may devour them too."

"[[File:Hon'ble Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi 06.jpg|thumb|I did not pull out Ayodhya from cold storage. I did not resurrect. It was a responsibility my predecessor gave to me […] I had two options - to run or to fight. Justice Bobde says I come from a family of warriors. I fought.]]I fought death. I fought the devil. After that, do you think anybody has the guts to tell me what to do?"

"Expression of views - now on social media - is a critical part of healthy democracy, so long as it does not cross the Lakshman Rekha of public order and morality"

"I see Uniform Civil Code as a very progressive piece of legislation, which will replace diverse customary practices that have evolved into laws […] I think it is a very important step towards national integration."

"I consider myself to be privileged to have worked with Chief Justice Gogoi, whose grit, mettle and character are so strong that it is difficult to get anything wrong passed."

"Justice Gogoi has exemplified the highest standards of integrity, wisdom, and commitment to justice. His contributions are not only limited to the courtroom but extend to the legislative realm, where he continues to contribute to the betterment of our nation."

"He has achieved impossible with the 1,000-page judgement within two-three weeks. This is rather the most impossible task achieved by his regime. He shows not determination to decide that case, but what the Supreme Court has capability of doing and what it can achieve. You made a name in history. The judiciary is going through a critical phase, where people want to control everything but Chief Justice Gogoi has provided insulation, courage and quality through his decisions."

"Mr Vikas Singh said I am a strict man. I am what I am. I can't change."

"What assurance? Court gives only orders."

"It is in our best interest to heed the advice of the constitution. If we do not, our hubris will result in sharp descent into chaos.thumb|Not a reform but a revolution"

"Good judges are going away. We need replacements and this is what I want to share with the bar. I am afraid. I am apprehensive. The younger lot in the bar are not willing to become judges. One of the reasons is that the office of a judge in the higher judiciary is losing its aura and majesty."

"If I have a happy lot of people in this country, my problem of litigation will be over."

"Enough is enough."

"Absence of legal awareness is a root cause of deception, exploitation and deprivation of rights and benefits of the masses. Legal literacy and legal awareness go hand in hand."

"Legal literacy and legal awareness go hand in hand. Legal aid movement can not achieve its goal as long as people are not aware of their basic rights. Greater awareness translates into greater and broadens access. Legal education is limited to universities, training, future lawyers. Education of legal issues should be included in school and college curriculum. It should go beyond rudimentary awareness."

"Judiciary is not over-sensitive to criticism; in fact, bona fide criticism is welcome, perhaps, because it opens the doors to self- introspection. Judges are not infallible; they are humans and they often err, though, inadvertently and because of their individual perceptions."

"thumb|I am what I am. I can't change.It's a discharge of debt to the nation which we have done."

"My presence in Parliament will be an opportunity to project the views of the Judiciary before the legislature and vice versa."

"Media exercised exceptional discretion to prevent canards, falsehoods from clogging news space. At trying times, the stellar role of journalists as defenders of truth and democratic ideals came to the fore."

"Public confidence in the judicial system is indispensable. Its erosion is fatal. Of course, Judges by their own conduct, action and performance of duties must earn and enjoy the public confidence and not by the application of the rule of contempt. Criticism could be of the underlying principle of a judicial verdict or its rationale or reasoning and even its correctness. Criticism could be of the conduct of an individual Judge or a group of Judges. Whichever manner the criticism is made it must be dignified in language and content because crude expressions or manifestations are more capable of identification of the alleged wrong with the system as a whole.thumb|Economic prosperity in the absence of social justice is discordant with the constitutional vision and the ethos of this nation."

"Economic prosperity in the absence of social justice is discordant with the constitutional vision and the ethos of this nation."

"To me it is a matter of great concern that a significant number of people deserving our reach are not even aware of our existence."

"All we would ask is that those who criticize us will remember that, from the nature of our office, we cannot reply to their criticisms. We cannot enter into public controversy. Still less into political controversy. We must rely on our conduct itself to be its own vindication."

"It has to be understood that the functioning of a Court is unique in the sense that the deliverables do not conform to a single chain of command, and they are a formulation that arise out of multi stake-holders programme where neither of the stake – holders is under the control or command of the other."

"India is eternal. Though the beginnings of her numerous civilizations go so far back in time that they are lost in the twilight of history, she has the gift of perpetual youth. Her culture is ageless and is as relevant to this present 20th century as it was to the 20th century before Christ."

"It has been my long-standing conviction that India is like a donkey carrying a sack of gold - the donkey does not know what it IS carrying but is content to go along with the load on its back. The load of gold is the fantastic treasure - in arts, literature, culture, and some Sciences like Ayurvedic medicine - which we have inherited from the days of the splendor that was India."

"The Muslims fully exploited the eagerness of the Hindus for Muslim support in their political struggle against the British, and grew more and more truculent in their attitude, demanding further extension of the principle of communal representation and increase in the appointment of Muslims in all State services. Agitation for all these was carried on not only in India but also in England. A British branch of the Muslim League was opened in London in 1908, with Sir Syed Ameer Ali as Chairman, in order to enlighten public opinion in England regarding the separatist tendencies of the Indian Muslims. In his inaugural address Ameer Ali observed: “It is impossible for them (the Musalmans) to merge their separate communal existence in that of any other nationality or strive for the attainment of their ideals under the aegis of any other organization than their own”. (158ff)"