Government law officers should remain impervious to the politics of the day and conduct themselves with dignity in court: CJI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasizes the need to reform legal systems, while Chief Justice Chandrachud stresses the importance of ethical conduct for law officers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 3 underscored the need to “rethink, reimagine and reform” legal systems even as the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud pointed out that government law officers should remain impervious to the politics of the day and conduct themselves with dignity in court.

Law officers, from the Attorney General and the Advocate Generals of the States, whose posts are envisaged in the Constitution, to others, like the Solicitor General, Additional Solicitor Generals and Additional Advocate Generals, were the first point of contact between the court and the government. They must uphold the honour of the legal profession through exemplary conduct from both within and outside the courtroom, the Chief Justice said.

“The greatest glory of the Attorney General is not to win cases for the government but to ensure that justice is done to the people,” the Chief Justice quoted from jurist Nani Palkhiwala’s letter to Soli Sorabjee on the latter’s appointment as India’s top law officer in 1989.

It is the duty of the law officer to tell the government when it does not have a valid case, the Chief Justice said.

“Law officers bear a greater responsibility in upholding ethical standards compared to private practitioners, given their role as guardians of the rule of law… It is imperative that law officers remain impervious to the politics of the day and conduct themselves with dignity in court, ensuring the integrity of legal proceedings… A crucial aspect of executive accountability rests on the ethical conduct and responsibility of law officers, who function not only as representatives of the government but also as officers of the court,” Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

The Prime Minister and the Chief Justice were speaking at the Commonwealth Attorney and Solicitors Generals Conference 2024 on Saturday. The conference witnessed the participation of Attorney Generals and Solicitors from Commonwealth nations spanning the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Caribbean along with various international delegations.

The Chief Justice also referred to the guidelines issued recently by the Supreme Court in a judgment which cautioned judges against leveraging the power to summon officials as a tool to pressure the government.