SAL Annual Lecture 2023: Seven decades of the Indian Constitution - The Life of a Nation

Date: 8 September 2023, Friday

Time: 7:00pm to 9.30pm SGT

Venue: Auditorium, Supreme Court of Singapore

Seven decades of the Indian Constitution: The Life of a Nation

by Chief Justice Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud, Supreme Court of India

The Constitution of India reflects the aspirations and will of the Indian people. Unlike most postcolonial democracies, the Constitution was drafted by the people of India after extensive deliberations to accommodate India’s demographic and territorial diversity. It is a progressive document which sought to challenge the social and moral orthodoxies by creating a new socio-political order based on the ideals of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

In this lecture, Chief Justice Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud will present the importance of the Constitution in recognising the fundamental rights of individuals, forming a structure of governance, and prescribing limitations on the authority of the institutions of governance.

Chief Justice Chandrachud will also examine on how the Constitution has endured the test of time and how its principles and values have remained relevant and permeated to the deepest rungs of Indian society.

His Honour will also take us on how the Indian courts have utilised the transformative value of the Constitution to engender social change, particularly in matters of gender- and caste-based inequalities. The lecture will also cover the importance of the language of the Constitution for the marginalised and disadvantaged sections of the Indian society to effectively engage with the state.

Join us for the SAL Annual Lecture 2023 as Chief Justice Chandrachud shares how the Constitution of India has entrenched the rule of law and progressively shaped the public discourse over the last seven decades.