On Independence Day, Chief Justice of India Justice B.R. Gavai said the Santhal community, among the first to resist colonial rule, now has its daughter, President Droupadi Murmu, serving in the highest constitutional office.
Justice Gavai was addressing the Supreme Court Bar Association.
Reflecting on India’s long and diverse struggle for freedom,
Justice Gavai said that India’s fight for freedom was not limited to any one region or community.
He further said that it brought together people from across the nation under the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
He recalled historic milestones — from the Santhal Hul of 1855 and the Revolt of 1857 to the social reforms of Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule.
He also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s transformative mass movements and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of political and social democracy.
He urged judges and lawyers to actively protect and embody constitutional values and work for poor and marginalised.
Justice Gavai concluded with a pledge for an India where no child is denied education, no woman walks in fear, and every citizen’s voice is heard.
He said that only then would Tagore’s prayer be answered, Gandhi’s Swaraj be realized, and Ambedkar’s vision of democracy be complete.
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