PATNA, BIHAR — In a historic departure from judicial convention, the Chief Justice of India, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant walked into the Ashoka Auditorium at Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna, and took questions directly, openly, and without a script. The landmark town hall marks the first time in Indian legal history that a sitting Chief Justice of India has engaged in a live, unfiltered interaction with law students. Demonstrating institutional statesmanship, the Chief Justice chose frank engagement over formal distance, honoring an initiative taken entirely by the students who invited him to foster a direct, transparent dialogue at Bihar’s premier national law university.
The historic proceedings commenced with a rhythmic reception of thumping of dhol, where both Hon’ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant and Hon’ble Mr. Justice V. Kameswar Rao, Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and Chancellor of CNLU, were warmly received with garlands on behalf of the university students by Ayan Aditya Giri.
Setting the tone for an intellectually spirited evening, the opening speech was delivered by Gaurav, Student Convenor of the Academic and Debating Committee. Welcoming the distinguished bench, Gaurav underscored the vital role of open dialogue in shaping responsive legal institutions, noting that an unscripted exchange between the highest echelons of the judiciary and the students reflects constitutional maturity and shared democratic responsibility.
On institutional support for first-generation litigators, the CJI took the floor and confronted the systemic hurdles that meet first-generation advocates upon entering practice. The CJI acknowledged the harsh financial and professional vulnerabilities awaiting young law graduates at the bar, invoking the landmark Sarika Tyagi case to champion the establishment of a dedicated professional assistance corpus. He framed early financial backing not as charity or patronage but as an urgent structural necessity to preserve the future of the legal fraternity and democratize access to the courtroom. In the same vein, when students raised serious concerns regarding soaring law school tuition and an inadequate scholarship safety net across national law universities, the Chief Justice made a pointed commitment that the issue of financial exclusion would be proactively addressed, placing his assurance on the public record.
Collegium Confidentiality and the Right to Peaceful Dissent
The dialogue moved swiftly to questions of judicial governance and fundamental rights. When pressed on why dissenting opinions within the Supreme Court Collegium are formally minuted but withheld from public view, Justice Surya Kant offered a candid, measured defense. He explained that public disclosure, however well-intentioned the transparency drive, risks placing candidates and judges under consideration in an untenable, publicly compromised position. Transparency, the CJI stressed, must operate within defined institutional boundaries when individual dignity and professional reputations are at stake. CJI said that only 38 people can become Supreme Court judges and if some Chief Justice or Judge is considered by collegium and not recommended on reasons stated in minutes then continuance of that person in High Court would become problematic. Similarly no lawyer would give consent if reasons for his non elevation are revealed as it would tarnish his image.
In an emotionally resonant moment that drew the evening’s loudest ovation, a female student, Vertika, inquired about the state’s response to student demonstrations and police action against student protesters in the light of recent incidents, Chief Justice Surya Kant unhesitatingly reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to protecting citizens’ fundamental freedom of peaceful protest, declaring unequivocally that constitutional courts will not look the other way when lawful student expression is stifled.
Chief Justice Surya Kant unhesitatingly reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to protecting citizens’ fundamental freedom of peaceful protest, declaring unequivocally that constitutional courts will not look the other way when lawful student expression is stifled.
Rethinking Legal Education: The “4+1” Curriculum Reform
A cornerstone intervention came from CNLU Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Faizan Mustafa, who placed a bold curriculum reform proposal before the Chief Justice. Prof. Mustafa suggested restructuring the traditional five-year integrated law degree into four years of rigorous academic coursework, with the final year repurposed as a mandatory, full-time court apprenticeship. This integrated model would effectively eliminate the separate one-year bar practice requirement presently mandated for judicial service examinations in Bhumika Trust v. Union of India. Responding favorably, Justice Surya Kant hailed the proposal as “a new, welcome idea,” recognizing that it does not truncate legal education but rather synthesizes classroom doctrine with active litigation training.
Patna High Court Chief Justice V. Kameswar Rao added substantial weight to the call for reform by spotlighting institutional incentives. Justice Rao observed that judicial clerkships at High Courts and the Supreme Court must be made far more competitive, prestigious, and financially rewarding. Enhancing clerkship stipends and research infrastructure, he noted, is vital if public judicial service is to compete with elite corporate law firms for the nation’s sharpest young legal minds.
Pedagogical Success and Constitutional Liberty
Addressing the gathering, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Faizan Mustafa expressed profound gratitude to Chief Justice Surya Kant for consistently delivering balanced, student-centric judgments across the country. In a memorable pedagogical reflection, Prof. Mustafa remarked that his classroom duty begins with teaching students Article 21, only for those students to subsequently turn around and assert those very liberties against his university administration. He stated that whenever students argue their case with him, he feels a deep professional satisfaction, as it serves as the ultimate proof of his success as a teacher of constitutional law.
He stated that whenever students argue their case with him, he feels a deep professional satisfaction, as it serves as the ultimate proof of his success as a teacher of constitutional law.
The landmark session drew to a close with a formal Vote of Thanks delivered by Harshit, Student Convenor of the Legal Aid Cell. Harshit expressed deep gratitude to Chief Justice Surya Kant and Chancellor Justice V. Kameswar Rao for their unprecedented willingness to subject judicial leadership to unscripted scrutiny, thanking the organizing bodies, faculty, and student delegates for cementing a historic milestone in Indian legal education.
This unprecedented dialogue not only offered students invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of the justice system but also reinforced Chanakya National Law University’s ongoing commitment to shaping progressive, reform-minded, and ethically grounded legal leaders.