New Delhi, India

The new Lady Justice statue which among other changes does not feature blindfold inside the library of the Supreme Court of India didn’t sit well with the SC Bar Association (SCBA). The association has since questioned the rationale behind the changes made to the statute.

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The SCBA passed a resolution against the changes made to the apex court’s emblem and the Lady Justice statue without consulting its members.

The new Lady Justice statue which was unveiled recently, was without the blindfold and the sword in hand of the traditional statue was replaced with the Indian constitution book.

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If you look at the traditional figure of Lady Justice, it is represented with a blindfold, robe and sword. This has its deep roots in ancient Greek and Roman iconography.

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 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 a 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 clueless on the rationale behind these changes,” the resolution reads.

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The SCBA 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 added in the resolution.

(With inputs from agencies)