Bar association upset over Supreme Court’s new ‘Lady Justice’ statue, questions ‘radical changes’
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has passed a resolution against the changes made to the apex court’s emblem and the statue of ‘Lady Justice’ without consulting its members.
The new Lady Justice statue in the Supreme Court has shed its blindfold, with the Constitution now replacing the sword in one hand, symbolising that the law in India is neither blind nor punitive. While the Lady Justice has traditionally been depicted with its eyes blindfolded, the new statue has eyes open to spread the message that the law is not blind.
“It is observed by the Executive Committee of Supreme Court Bar Association that recently some radical changes have been brought in by the Supreme Court unilaterally like change of its emblem, change in the statue of Lady Justice without consultation with the Bar. We are equal stakeholders in the administration of justice but these changes when proposed, were never brought to our attention. We are totally clueless on the rationale behind these changes,” the resolution reads.
The scales represented balance and fairness, while the sword was meant to represent the power of the law. However, the new statue is being seen as an attempt to leave the colonial legacy behind while underlining the message that the law is not blind in new India. It now stands tall at the judges’ library in the Supreme Court.
The SCBA has also objected to the proposed museum in the erstwhile judges’ library, claiming that it had previously requested a cafe-cum-lounge for its members, as the current cafeteria is inadequate to meet their needs.
“Now a museum has apparently been proposed in the erstwhile Judges Library whereas we had demanded a Library, Cafe cum Lounge for the members of the Bar as the present cafeteria is inadequate to cater to the needs of the members of the Bar. We are concerned that despite our objection raised against the proposed Museum in the erstwhile Judges library, work has started for the museum,” SCBA adds in the resolution.