Judgments Should Be Written for Every Citizen, Not Just for Lawyers, Says Justice Vikram Nath, Urging Clarity, Civility, and Compassion in the Courts
From the Editor's Desk
At the Second Ashoke Kumar Sen Memorial Lecture, Supreme Court judge Justice Vikram Nath reflected on the life and contributions of Ashoke Kumar Sen, drawing lessons for the judiciary and the legal profession from the late jurist’s enduring legacy of clarity, civility, and public service.
Justice Nath described Sen as a figure who combined intellectual precision with deep respect for institutions and the public. He noted that Sen’s example showed how clarity in expression was not merely a stylistic virtue but a democratic obligation. “For judges, there is a lesson in Mr. Sen's example. He dealt with disagreement without raising his voice. He was willing to hear every concern, but he did not let debate become delay. He believed that clarity is a form of respect, to the House, to the Courts, and to the public. We on the Bench should hold ourselves to the same measure: clear reasons, a steady tone, and decisions that ordinary people can read and follow. The Constitution speaks to everyone; our judgments should do the same,” he said.
Justice Nath emphasized that true leadership in law is found not in grandeur but in daily acts of integrity. “Leadership in law is often judged by what is done on the biggest stage. But the law is built, day by day, on small, careful acts. There is dignity in small things: filing a brief punctually; treating a court officer with respect; giving credit to a junior; citing a precedent accurately; acknowledging an error promptly. These are the habits that make you trustworthy,”
He urged that such habits form the moral backbone of the justice system. “In time, trust will give you influence, and influence will invite responsibility. When that day comes, remember the tradition we honour tonight. Use your influence to build institutions, not just reputations. Use your skill to sharpen justice, not just arguments. Use your learning to guide the next generation, not just to impress your own,” he said.
Expanding on the human dimension of law, Justice Nath reminded the audience that fairness and compassion must guide every exercise of authority. “Law is a set of rules, yes, but it is also a way of treating people. It is a promise that power will answer to reason, and that reason will be open to evidence. It is a promise that even when we act with speed, we will not forget fairness; and even when we act with firmness, we will not forget compassion,” he said.
Justice Nath traced Sen’s career as a lawyer, parliamentarian, and reformer who shaped India’s legal and political landscape for decades. “Some people are known because they held high office; others are remembered because they raised the standard of the work itself. Mr. Sen belonged to the second group,” he said.
Rising from the Calcutta Bar to serve multiple terms as Union Law Minister, Sen became widely regarded as “the inevitable Law Minister.” Justice Nath explained, "By that they mean he was the person you naturally turned to when the country needed someone sensible to steer legal reform, someone who could talk to Courts, to Parliament, to the government, and to citizens without raising the temperature. He combined a lawyer's eye for detail with a public servant's instinct to explain and include."
Among Sen’s defining contributions, Justice Nath highlighted his role in introducing the Advocates Act, 1961 — a reform that transformed the legal profession in independent India. “The Advocates Act closed a colonial chapter and opened a modern one. It swept away the old ranks of barristers, pleaders, and vakils and created a single class of advocates. It made the profession more open, more mobile, and more merit-based. Talent, not title, would matter,” he said.
Recalling Sen’s defense of civil liberties during challenging political times, Justice Nath noted that Sen consistently championed judicial independence and access to justice. “He worked to keep the rule of law steady,” he remarked.
Justice Nath also said about Sen’s love of reading as a reflection of his intellectual curiosity. “Reading is a public act. When a lawyer reads well, a judge reasons better; when a judge reasons better, a citizen lives better,” he said. Citing Rabindranath Tagore’s words, “Don't limit a child to your own learning, for she was born in another time,” he added that Sen’s openness to new ideas remained a lesson for modern institutions. “Every generation will test our institutions with its own questions – about technology and privacy, about speech and equality, about faith and identity, about prosperity and the planet. If we limit the answers to yesterday's book, we will limit the country's tomorrow,” he said.
Reflecting on the values that sustain the legal community, Justice Nath observed, “A library is not a storehouse of the past; it is a workshop for the future.” He added that the most meaningful tribute to Sen lies not in ceremonies but in everyday excellence. “The best tributes to a person like Ashoke Kumar Sen are not statues or special sessions; they are daily choices – to prepare a little better, to argue a little more fairly, to write a little more clearly, and to treat one another with dignity even when we disagree.”
Concluding his address, Justice Nath urged his audience to uphold Sen’s ideals in their professional and personal lives. “May we aim for the same standard in our own spheres. Let us keep our minds open, our words measured, and our actions steady. Let us read widely, teach generously, and guide those who follow us,” he said, adding that Sen’s true legacy must live on “in our files tomorrow morning, in our classrooms, in our courtrooms, and in the quiet places where we open a book to learn something new.”
The event, moderated by Senior Advocate Sanjiv Sen, featured Justice Joymalya Bagchi, Senior Advocate Jayanta Mitra, and Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, MP, as panelists.
