Past Wrongs: Need inclusive legal system to address past wrongs: CJI D Y Chandrachud | India News

Unveiling Dr B R Ambedkar’s bust in Brandeis University at Waltham in Massachusetts on Sunday, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said a just and inclusive legal system is needed to address past wrongs and make the society more equitable.

Justice Chandrachud, who was part of the unanimous Ayodhya verdict in which a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in 2019 had ruled that courts cannot correct historical wrongs, was addressing a gathering at the unveiling of Ambedkar’s bust at the library of the university, which was founded in 1948 and named after Justice Louis Dembitz Brandeis of the US Supreme Court.It is a non-sectarian, co-educational institution sponsored by the Jewish community.Delivering the keynote address at the sixth international conference on the ‘Unfinished Legacy of Dr B R Ambedkar’ organised by the university, the Chief Justice of India spoke on ‘Reformation Beyond Representation: The Social Life of the Constitution in Remedying Historical Wrongs’.
“Recognising these historical injustices underscores the crucial role of legal reform and the need for a just and inclusive legal system to address past wrongs and work toward a more equitable society,” he said, adding, “Dr Ambedkar’s constitutionalism aimed at creating a robust framework of checks and balances, where the Constitution would serve as a bulwark against potential abuses of power, ensuring the protection of the rights of all citizens.”
CJI Chandrachud told the gathering that reformation beyond representation ensures that marginalised and under-represented communities not only have a seat at the table, but also have a meaningful voice in decision-making processes. He said “reformation beyond representation” extends to a deeper transformation of power dynamics, policies and social structures.
“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. Quoting Ambedkar, he said, “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.”