Justice Nagarathna Champions Constructive Citizenship at NLU Convocation

Justice B V Nagarathna, speaking at NLU's 11th convocation, underscored the importance of 'constructive citizenship' and social work in true citizenship. Set to be India's first female Chief Justice, she lamented gender disparity in the legal field, highlighting low female representation and advocating for constitutional methods to drive social change.

Justice B V Nagarathna on Saturday urged students to commit to the idea of 'constructive citizenship' and emphasized that social work should be the foundation of true citizenship. Speaking at the 11th convocation ceremony of the National Law University (NLU), she lamented the lack of gender diversity in the legal profession.

Justice Nagarathna, poised to become India's first female Chief Justice based on seniority, highlighted that the Indian Constitution is neither a product nor the exclusive domain of Lutyen's Delhi. She called for building relationships based on personal or local connections and actively contributing to society through social work.

Quoting Dr. B R Ambedkar's closing speech in the Constituent Assembly, she stressed the significant role of lawyers in using constitutional methods to foster social change. She cited concerning statistics: only 13% of high court judges and 15% of enrolled lawyers in India are women. These figures, she argued, represent missed opportunities and unheard voices in the legal system.

(With inputs from agencies.)