The blindfold has come off a new Lady of Justice statue in the Supreme Court and the Constitution has replaced the sword in one of its hands to send a message that the law is not blind in the country, and nor does it symbolise punishment.
The blindfold was meant to represent equality before the law, implying that courts cannot see the wealth, power, or other markers of status of those that appear before it, while the sword symbolised authority and the power to punish injustice.
The new statue in the judges’ library in the Supreme Court, commissioned at the orders of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, has the eyes open and the sword replaced by the Constitution in its left hand in a move that is also being seen as an attempt to leave the colonial legacy behind, just as was done by replacing the colonial era criminal laws like the Indian Penal Code with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to top sources associated with the Chief Justice’s office, Justice Chandrachud believes that India should move forward from the British legacy and that the law is never blind, it sees everyone equally.
“Therefore, the Chief Justice said that the form of the Lady of Justice should be changed. He said the statue should have the Constitution in one hand and not a sword, so that a message goes out to the country that she dispenses justice according to the Constitution. The sword is a symbol of violence but courts deliver justice according to constitutional laws,” a source said.
The scales of justice in the right hand, the source added, have been retained as they represent balance in society and the idea that facts and arguments by both sides are weighed by courts before arriving at a conclusion.