Speaking at the 13th convocation of National Law University Delhi, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan stressed that law universities should be places where students learn to think independently. He said universities should not simply pass existing knowledge from one generation to another. They should encourage students to question established views, listen to opinions different from their own and debate disagreements through reason rather than hostility.
Justice Bhuyan also spoke about the need to avoid excessive respect for authority, including judicial authority. In his view, judges, courts and established legal positions should be capable of being examined and questioned. He said that disagreement and dissent are important in a constitutional democracy, provided that the discussion remains grounded in liberty, equality, dignity and justice.
He further explained that law schools and courts should support each other. Academic researchers can study the work of courts and judges and provide fresh intellectual perspectives, while the judiciary can benefit from serious academic research. According to him, a strong legal system requires both institutions to remain open to critical thinking and reasoned disagreement.
