Add more skills to excel, former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud advises students at Karnataka State Law University convocation

Former Chief Justice of India emphasizes the importance of acquiring diverse skills to excel in a competitive world.

Former Chief Justice of India Dhananjay Y. Chandrachud has said that with the times becoming more complex, it has become mandatory for students to add more skills to their repertorie in order to excel in the competitive world.

He was delivering the convocation address at the Sixth Annual Convocation of Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) held at the Farmers’ Knowledge Centre on the campus of University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad on Friday (November 29, 2024).

“Times are more complex now. The field is more competitive, lot more diverse than it was earlier. And consequently, there are more challenges. But there is always room for changes. What you do is not important but how you do it is important. Give your best efforts, there is always room for imrpovement,” he said.

Emphasising the need for students to be themselves, he asked them not to emulate seniors, peers or fellow students. He said the road less taken or the road never taken is always worth treading.

The former chief justice expressed dipleasure over the practice of grading among law institutions and said that he did not endorse the practice of ranking national law schools above other law institutions. “I am firmly of the view that such classification is devoid of any logic,” he said, referring to the argument of advocate Nambiyar before the Supreme Court and added that instituion affiliations would not follow anyone to the court room.

Justice Chandrachud said that the identity of the nation had several individual identities within. “The ability of the nation to preserve the identifies based on culture, region and religion has led to creation of a social fabric in the country,” he said.

Taking a stroll down memory lane, Justice Chandrachud recalled his childhood visit to Dharwad, where his father’s first cousin stayed and how it had changed now.