Judiciary a stabilising force in country as diverse as India: Justice Surya Kant

Chandigarh, Aug 4 (PTI) Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant said judiciary serves as a stabilising force in a country as diverse as India, with democracy permeating every level.

"It reinforces public trust and ensures that the lifeblood of democracy continues to flow unblemished," he said.

Justice Kant was delivering the first annual H L Sibal memorial lecture at the main Bar room in Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh on Sunday.

He also said democracy, like nuclear fusion, holds immense generative power. But as with any powerful force, it demands principled restraint, he said.

"In a country as diverse as ours, with democracy permeating every level, the judiciary serves as a stabilising force representing not vote banks but constitutional values," Justice Kant said.

"The Constitution serves as its containment chamber, shaping and guiding that energy and it is the judiciary that plays the role of the stabilising core, ensuring that this power does not fracture into chaos, but is channelled in service of constitutional order and justice," he added.

The SC judge reflected on the judiciary's role in upholding constitutional values, particularly through the power of judicial review.

"Another vital dimension of constitutional adjudication, and what I believe is one of the most fascinating aspects of our democracy, is the judiciary's role in safeguarding free and fair elections," he said.

In any democracy, "elections are not merely procedural events; they are foundational to legitimacy and often vulnerable to misuse", he said.

"The power of judicial review to invalidate tainted elections and disqualify those who engage in electoral malpractice serves not only as a deterrent but as an important mechanism to uphold the integrity of our democratic process," Justice Kant said.

Among those present on the occasion included Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; several high court judges, senior advocate and H L Sibal's son Kapil Sibal, Sartej Singh Narula, President of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association.

Earlier, in his address, Justice Kant described late H L Sibal as an unparalleled luminary of the law whose brilliance, multifaceted personality and humanity left an everlasting impression on all those who had the privilege of crossing his path.

"On a deeply personal note, Sibal Sahab was a mentor, a guide, and a dear friend to me during the transformative periods of my life, regardless of our substantial age difference. His wisdom shaped my thinking, his generosity uplifted me, and his quiet strength steadied me through pivotal moments in my journey," he said.

Justice Kant recalled H L Sibal completed his law education at Lahore, a city that, before Partition, was a centre of intellectual and legal ferment.

The era in which he began his legal career was volatile, marked by political upheaval, colonial repression, and the stirring of India's freedom movement, he said.

"As a young lawyer, Sibal Sahab quickly earned a reputation for fearlessly taking on controversial cases, not merely to defend his clients, but to uphold the fundamental values of free expression and to challenge the excesses of state power," Justice Kant said.

Though H L Sibal initially joined his family in Jalandhar after migrating from Lahore, he later shifted to Shimla in 1948, and eventually settled in Chandigarh in 1955, he said.

From there, he practised before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court for over six remarkable decades. To be precise, his legal career spanned an extraordinary 67 years, Justice Kant recalled.

During this period, he went on to serve as the Advocate General for the States of both Punjab and Haryana twice. PTI SUN VSD NB NB