President Droupadi Murmu proposed creation of an All-India Judicial Service which could select brilliant youngsters and nurture and promote their talents from lower levels to higher levels.

Speaking at the Constitution Day celebrations organised by the Supreme Court of India here on Sunday, the president said, “Those who aspire to serve the Bench can be selected from across the country to create a larger pool of talent. Such a system can offer opportunities to the less-represented social groups too.”

She said a more varied representation of India’s unique diversity on Bench and Bar definitely helps serve the cause of justice better. “One way to hasten this diversification process can be the creation of a system in which judges can be recruited from varied backgrounds through a process which is merit based, competitive and transparent,” she added.

“Today, we celebrate the values enshrined in the Constitution and rededicate ourselves to uphold them in the day-to-day life of the nation. The values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are the principles on which we have agreed to conduct ourselves as a nation. These values helped us win independence. It is no wonder these find a special mention in the Preamble and continue to guide our nation-building efforts,” the president said.

Murmu said the cause of justice is best served by making it accessible for all.

“This also strengthens equality. We should ask ourselves whether every single citizen is in a position to seek justice. On introspection, we realise that there are many barriers in the way. Cost is the most significant factor. There are other barriers like language, which is beyond the comprehension of a majority of citizens,” she said.

The President said in order to improve the access to justice, we should seek to make the overall system citizen-centric.

“Our systems have been products of time; more precisely, products of colonialism. Clearing away its vestiges has been a work in progress,” she said.

The President expressed confidence that we can speed up the remaining part of de-colonisation in all domains with more conscious efforts.

She said as we celebrate Constitution Day, we should note that the Constitution is after all only a written document. It comes alive and remains alive only if its contents are put into practice. That requires the exercise of interpretation.

She appreciated the Supreme Court for playing the role of the final interpreter of our founding document to the perfection. She stated that this Court’s bar and bench have constantly raised the standards of jurisprudence. Their legal acumen and scholarship has been par excellence. Like our Constitution, our Supreme Court too has been a model for many other nations.

She expressed confidence that with a vibrant judiciary, the health of our democracy is never going to be a cause of concern.