Chief Justice Dr D.Y. Chandrachud, along with Justice B.R. Gavai, laid flowers before the portrait of Dr Ambedkar in library-I of the Supreme Court.
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ON the eve of the birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr D.Y. Chandrachud paid floral homage to the chairman of the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution. The homage was paid in front of the portrait of Dr Ambedkar hanging in library-I at the Supreme Court premises. The CJI was accompanied by Justice B.R. Gavai from the Supreme Court Bench.
Speaking of Dr Ambedkar, CJI Dr Chandrachud said that the greatest tribute one can pay to Dr Ambedkar is carrying his mission forward in the work one is doing.
"Our commitment is to the constitutional values which he espoused with all his heart and mind. It is now for the future generations to take up the baton and pursue all the ideals which Dr Ambedkar fought for. We have a true icon for our reference. All his words, whether it was in the Constituent Assembly or even in his own writing, are as significant today as they were in those times. It speaks about the great vision of Dr Ambedkar that he not only envisioned society for then when he was speaking but also for the future as well," the CJI said.
The event, organised by the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Lawyers for Social Justice, a group of Ambedkarite lawyers practicing at the Supreme Court, was attended by senior advocates Indira Jaising, Anand Grover and Sanjay Hedge, and advocates Pratik Bombarde, Divyesh Pratap Singh and Reepak Kansal, among others.
Bombarde handed over a memorandum to the CJI demanding the formation of a Caste Sensitisation Committee at the Supreme Court. The memorandum states that not only lawyers but also registry employees from SCs and Scheduled Tribes face discrimination based on their social identity.
The CJI told Bombarde that he was already formulating a module to be taught at the National Judicial Academy on the sensitisation of judicial officers on the issue.
Jaising demanded that a statue of Dr Ambedkar be installed on the Supreme Court premises; the CJI said that he would look into it.
The memorandum also raises the demand for a statue of Dr Ambedkar.
"History tells us that in the [19]70s under the leadership of [politician and social worker] Dadasaheb Gaikwad, we Ambedkarites had to struggle for the installation of his statue inside the Parliament. And we are now struggling for many years for the installation of a statue of Babasaheb inside the Supreme Court," the memorandum reads.
Dr Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, social reformer and political leader, who headed the drafting committee for the Constitution. He also served as the first Union Law and Justice Minister, and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement after renouncing Hinduism. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour of India, posthumously in 1990.