New Delhi: Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has said that however bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those responsible for its functioning are a “good lot."
He made the remarks citing B R Ambedkar during his keynote address at the Sixth International Conference on the ‘Unfinished Legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’ at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, in the US on Sunday.
“However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it happen to be a good lot,” the CJI said quoting Ambedkar.
During his address, Chandrachud hailed Ambedkar's idea of constitutionalism as being responsible for dismantling the deeply entrenched caste hierarchy in India.
The CJI highlighted the idea of constitutionalism of Ambedkar, who headed the committee tasked to frame the Indian Constitution, and said it was instrumental in transforming Indian society by dismantling deeply entrenched caste hierarchy and promoting social, economic and political empowerment of marginalised groups.
"Ambedkar’s legacy continues to shape the constitutional values of modern India, serving as a beacon for social reform and the pursuit of justice for all,” he said.
The CJI, who is in the United States, was also honored with the 'Award for Global Leadership' by the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law School on Saturday.
The announcement about CJI Chandrachud being chosen as the award recipient was made on January 11, 2023, in an online ceremony.
On Saturday, he participated in a fireside conversation at Harvard Law School alongside David Wilkins, a Professor at Harvard Law School and the Faculty Director of the Center on the Legal Profession.