Feudal and unwelcoming of women: CJI Chandrachud on legal profession

The CJI stressed on the importance of mental health during a talk at the Harvard Law school. He said that one should not view life only through the lens of a career

New Delhi, Jan 12: The legal profession is unwelcoming of women and feudalistic, Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud said on Wednesday.

He made the comments while receiving the Award for Global Leadership presented by the Centre on the Legal Profession at the Harvard law School.

The CJI is an alumnus of the Harvard law School. He had obtained his Doctorate in Judicial Sciences from the institute.

He went on to add, 'unfortunately the legal profession has been feudalistic and has not been welcoming of women and marginalised communities. During a conversation with David B Wilkins, the director of the Centre at Harvard. CJI Chandrachud said that the is often asked why the number of women judges in the Supreme Court is low.

He explained, 'the answer to it lies in the profession it was three decades ago. The pool of judges coming to the Supreme Court is from a pool which dates back to three decades ago.'

So many of my law clerks have no family contact with the law and the challenge is how do we mentor them. Law schools by democratising access to legal education will play a vital role in changing that, CJI Chandrachud also said. This alone can ensure a more inclusive society, he also added.

He added that the law can be a feudal and exclusionary profession and persons from marginalised communities, women, queer community and persons with disabilities face difficulties. Junior laws, especially those who are not with a law firm are troubled by financial anxieties, he added.

The CJI also stressed on the importance of mental health and cautioned against the tendency to view life only through the lens of one's career.

The question is not how can good mental health advance my professional interests. Mental well being is of paramount importance, even if it cannot advance your career in any way. It has an inherent value. In any case, it does improve your performance in the long run by just pursuing a holistic pattern of life, CJI Chandrachud also said.