In a major development in the history of India’s legal system, the symbolic statue of Lady of Justice found in courts and other related institutions, has appeared in a new avatar without the traditional blindfold and the sword in one of its hands.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has unveiled a new statue of Lady Justice, removing her blindfold and replacing the sword with the Constitution. This transformative symbol reflects a commitment to constitutional values and equality before the law. #Justice #CJIChandrachud pic.twitter.com/3orY71U2cy
— DD News (@DDNewslive) October 17, 2024
The blindfold has come off and the Constitution has replaced the sword, sending a message that the law is not blind and nor does it symbolize punishment.
The scales of justice in the right hand of the statue, however, have been retained as they represent balance in society and the idea that facts and arguments by both sides are weighed by courts before arriving at a decision in a case.
The move is being seen as part of an effort to modernize the justice system in India and depart from colonial legacies just as was done by replacing the colonial era criminal laws like the Indian Penal Code with the ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’.
Earlier, the blindfold was meant to represent equality before the law, making it clear that courts cannot see the wealth, education, power, or other markers of the status of those that appear before it, while the sword symbolized authority and the power to punish injustice.
Commissioned at the orders of the Chief Justice of India, the new statue has been installed in the judges’ library of the Supreme Court.
Reports citing top sources associated with the Chief Justice’s office have said CJI Chandrachud believes that India should move forward from the British legacy and that the law is never blind, it sees everyone equally.