Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant, Chief Justice of India; Hon’ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Hon'ble Judges of the Supreme Court of India and Commonwealth countries, Learned Attorney General for India, Hon’ble Minister of State for Law and Justice, Hon’ble Acting Chief Justice of Rajasthan, Judges of High Court of Rajasthan; Learned Solicitor General of India; distinguished delegates from India and across the Commonwealth; members of my family; colleagues; friends; ladies and gentlemen.
As we conclude this inaugural session, permit me to leave you with a personal reflection. Most people seem to discover early in life what they are meant to do. Their purpose reveals itself while the road ahead is still long. My journey has been different. It has taken me nearly fifty years to begin understanding what perhaps was the larger design of the cosmos. When I entered the Supreme Court of India on August 1, 1976, I believed I had found my destination. Looking back today, I realise that the Supreme Court was never my destination—it was my preparation.
For
five decades, the Supreme Court of India was my Kurukshetr—the sacred
field where constitutional values, human conflicts, rights and duties were
tested every day. Within those courtrooms, I learnt that the majesty of law
lies not merely in deciding disputes, but in preserving the Rule of Law,
protecting human dignity, and strengthening the institutions that sustain
democracy.
Yet
every Kuru-kshetr ultimately seeks a higher purpose. The destination of law
is justice. The destination of justice is peace. And the highest expression of
peace is a society that is increasingly free from conflict. That understanding
gradually brought me to mediation—and ultimately to peace mediation.
If
courts are the guardians of justice, peace mediation is the guardian of human
relationships. Courts resolve disputes according to law; peace mediation
restores trust through generative dialogue, understanding and reconciliation.
Courts determine legal rights; mediation rebuilds human relationships. Both are
indispensable. One preserves justice; the other nurtures peace. Together, they
represent the two pillars upon which a truly civilised society must stand.
Perhaps
this Conference represents that next chapter—not merely in my own journey, but,
I hope, in the evolution of our justice system itself. If the Supreme Court has
been my Kuru-kshetr, then the global movement for peace mediation shall
remain my Dharm-kshetr for whatever years the cosmos still grants me.
I
express my deepest gratitude to the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India for gracing
this occasion and for his inspiring leadership; to the Hon'ble Chief Minister
of Rajasthan for the State's unwavering support; to the Hon'ble Judges of the
Supreme Court of India and the constitutional courts of the Commonwealth; to
the Hon'ble Minister of State for Law and Justice; the Learned Attorney General
for India; Hon'ble Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, the
Learned Solicitor General of India; the Hon’ble Judges of High Court; the
President of Supreme Court Bar Association; our distinguished speakers and
delegates from India and across the Commonwealth; and to every participant who
has travelled here to become part of this shared vision.
May
this conference not conclude as a memorable event, but begin as a lasting
movement. May we leave Jaipur with the conviction that every conflict prevented
is greater than a dispute resolved; that every relationship restored is a
triumph for humanity; and that every dialogue undertaken in good faith
strengthens the foundations of peace. May the Rule of Law continue to guide our
institutions, and may peace become the highest expression of justice.
Before
I conclude, there is one debt of gratitude that I can never fully repay. A
professional journey of fifty years is never travelled alone. Behind every
lawyer who spends long days and countless nights holding conferences, preparing
cases, appearing in court, travelling and serving clients stands a family that
silently bears the unseen burden. My wife has carried that burden almost
single-handedly. While I devoted myself to the profession, she devoted herself
to our family. The responsibilities that I could not discharge at home quietly
became hers. She fulfilled them with extraordinary grace, unwavering dignity
and remarkable strength—never seeking recognition, never expressing resentment,
and never allowing those sacrifices to diminish the warmth and stability of our
home.
If I
have been able to stand before the Bench for fifty years, it is because she
stood firmly behind our family for forty-five years. Whatever recognition comes
to me today belongs as much to her as it does to me. I also express my
heartfelt gratitude to my children, my extended family, my colleagues, my
chamber members, my associates, my office staff, my clients, my friends and the
countless well-wishers who have walked beside me throughout these five decades.
Every one of you has been a part of this journey.
Thank
you all for your presence, your encouragement and your faith.
Jai
Hind.
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