Key Points

Speaking at an event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at the Supreme Court premises, with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and several senior judges in attendance, the Chief Justice painted a vivid picture of India's long and complex struggle for independence.

"Friends, every year, on the 15th of August, we gather as a nation to celebrate our independence," he began, describing the fluttering of the tricolour in the monsoon breeze and the echo of the national anthem across the country. "But Independence Day is not only a celebration. It is also an act of remembrance."

He took the audience on a journey through the lesser-known but significant milestones of India's freedom movement. Beginning with the Santhal rebellion of 1855 in present-day Jharkhand, the Chief Justice highlighted how tribal leaders Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu led tens of thousands in a fight against the East India Company to protect their land and dignity.

"The Santhal 'Hul' teaches us that the struggle for freedom did not begin in the cities. It began in the villages, the hills, and the forests," he said.

He spoke of the 1857 uprising, the work of social reformers like Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, and the courageous leadership of Birsa Munda in the forests of Chotanagpur.

"Birsa called upon his people to reclaim their land and their dignity. The British labelled him a rebel. But today, his people call him Dharti Aaba -- the Father of the Earth," he noted.

CJI Gavai also invoked the powerful voice of Rabindranath Tagore, recalling his timeless prayer from Gitanjali: "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high..." and his renunciation of knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.

Drawing attention to the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr BR Ambedkar, and Jawaharlal Nehru, the CJI emphasised that India's freedom was won not by one group alone, but through the united efforts of many.

"Our freedom was forged not in one place, nor by one people, but by the courage of many, speaking in different tongues yet united by one dream of a prosperous and equal India," he said.

The Chief Justice recalled Dr BR Ambedkar's powerful reminder that political freedom must be rooted in social justice, quoting him: "Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy."

Turning his focus to the present, he hailed the journey of President Droupadi Murmu -- a daughter of the Santhal community -- as a testament to India's progress. "It is the destiny of India that the Santhal community, which was among the first to rise against the British in 1855, now has its daughter...holding the highest constitutional office in the land", the CJI said.

However, the CJI made it clear that the journey is not yet complete. "The work of building a just, equal, and inclusive India is far from finished," he said.

Addressing fellow judges and lawyers, he reminded them of their special duty to uphold constitutional values. "We are entrusted with the responsibility to promote, protect, imbibe, and defend the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity," he stressed.

He called on legal professionals to treat every case, no matter how small, with seriousness, reminding them that what appears trivial to one may be a matter of dignity and survival to another. "Every case you handle, every argument you advance, contributes to the moral and social fabric of our nation."

For judges, the responsibility was even greater. "Beyond the letter of the law, we must strive to give a broader, more purposive interpretation to the values of the Constitution," he said. "Only then will Tagore's prayer be answered, only then will Gandhi's Swaraj be real, and only then will Ambedkar's idea of democracy be complete."

The ceremony concluded with a pledge to not only salute the flag, but to uphold the spirit it represents -- a spirit of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

- ANI