In a gesture deemed symbolic of the final move that will attract disagreement among the masses across the country, the Supreme Court of India unveiled a redesigned Lady Justice statue as part of its opening of the new building. The change in lady justice as perceived in the Indian legal system is significant. A statue blindfolded and wielding a sword is the traditional depiction, but today the open eyes of this statue hold not the sword but the Constitution of India. This is also a step toward redefinition, transforming the role of judiciary in present-day India away from colonial symbols toward values that stand upon the constitutive ethos.
A New Symbol for Indian Justice
Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, the brainchild of this exercise, said on the day of the unveiling: “the law is not blind; it sees everyone equally.” The decision to remove the blindfold from the statue has provoked widespread reactions-that many are praising this as a symbol of India’s changing judicial ideals. While the blindfold that traditionally would symbolize a bias-free jurisprudence was replaced by open eyes that there exist realities about the society and the very essence of justice in India stands for equality and fairness rather than turning a blind eye toward them.
Gown Replaces Sword: The New Lady Justice Emerges as the Lighthouse for Fairness Over Punishment
One of the most significant changes made in the new version of Lady Justice is that the sword is replaced by the Indian Constitution. That which was once represented by the sword – that of power and retribution – was substituted with the rule of law, the legal framework protecting the rights and freedoms of every citizen. Scales of justice, so important in both old and new statues, remain, representing the commitment of the judiciary to weigh impartially and ensure balance in its decisions.
Breaking Free from Colonial Heritage
This redesign is part of the larger effort to modernise India’s legal system and break free from symbols of colonial rule that have dominated it for so long. The Supreme Court’s judgment comes at a time when sweeping legal reforms are being implemented in India-namely, the renaming of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). All these, taken up under the initiative of CJI Chandrachud, reflect an aspiration of India wanting a legal order of its own based on its ethno-identity rather than just the legal heritage of Britain.
Criticisms and Controversies: Inspired by RSS Ideals?
While many welcomed the installation of the new statue as a badge of progress, others looked at these undertones with skepticism. Others have deplored it as part of the larger attempt to “Indianise” the legal system according to Hindutva values, especially the ones propounded by the RSS. Take, for instance, the open eyes and the replacement of the Constitution with the sword; those elements were hailed by some as consistent with the RSS ideal of justice — dharma rather than blind neutrality.
Balancing Tradition with Modernity
Even if the new image is controversial, the Supreme Court makes clear that this transformation of Lady Justice is a shift in judicial thought in India. Constituent law remains the ultimate benchmark for equal and fair distribution. The new form of the goddess signifies the role of the judiciary in upholding constitutional tenets, without providing an alibi to the complexity of reality.
It’s almost as if the new Lady Justice presents India’s own process toward a modern judiciary, only gradually pulling away from colonial historiography and embracing one that is open, fair, and constitutional in its very founding principles.
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