Judicial leadership suffers when we pretend judges are perfect: CJI Surya Kant

CJI Surya Kant emphasizes the need for humility in judicial leadership and proposes a Commonwealth Apex Body for judicial education reform.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has said that judicial leadership does not suffer because Judges are imperfect, but it is adversely impacted when judges pretend that they are not imperfect.

The CJI also called for a radical shift in how judicial leadership is perceived, advocating for the creation of a ‘Commonwealth Apex Body’ to integrate judicial education, the Bar, and the bench across the member nations.

Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 11th biennial meeting of the Commonwealth Judicial Educators (CJEs) here, Justice Surya Kant said that judges, like judicial institutions, remain capable of growth, correction, and improvement.

The role of judges demands not only "mastery of precedent" but also the "agility to interpret the law" in ways that serve justice in the present time, he said.

Across history, the most respected judicial leaders did not project flawlessness or perfection; instead, the best leaders were those who remained conscious of the limits of their own knowledge, alert to the possibility of error, and open to learning, the CJI said.

"Humility, in that sense, has never been a personal virtue alone; it has been a professional safeguard. And I believe this important tool must be taught to every judicial officer, without exception," he said.