CJI Gavai: “Human Dignity Is the Soul of the Constitution”, Charts Expansive Judicial Vision
Speaking at the 11th Dr. LM Singhvi Memorial Lecture, CJI BR Gavai said dignity was central to the Constitution, while Speaker Om Birla emphasised the equal responsibility of Parliament and judiciary in upholding democracy
Chief Justice BR Gavai
In a powerful address at the 11th Dr. L.M. Singhvi Memorial Lecture, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice B.R. Gavai declared that “human dignity is the soul of the Constitution”, tracing how the Supreme Court has consistently elevated dignity as the unifying principle binding liberty, equality, fraternity, and justice.
Delivering the keynote titled “Human Dignity as the Soul of the Constitution: Judicial Reflections in the 21st Century,” Justice Gavai emphasized that dignity is not only a personal right but also a collective constitutional value that underpins the very cohesion of Indian society.
While the term “dignity” is not expressly mentioned in the chapter on Fundamental Rights, Justice Gavai noted that the judiciary has consistently interpreted it as central to Article 21’s guarantee of life and liberty. From the late 1970s prison reform cases to modern rulings on privacy, gender equality, and disability rights, the Court has invoked dignity as the constitutional glue connecting individual freedoms to social justice.
Landmark judgments cited included Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration (1978, 1980), where the Court condemned solitary confinement and degrading prison practices, and Francis Coralie Mullin v. Union Territory of Delhi (1981), which expanded the right to life to include living with dignity. More recent rulings such as KS Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) recognized privacy as the “constitutional core of dignity,” while Common Cause v. Union of India (2018) affirmed the right to die with dignity.
Justice Gavai underscored that dignity extends beyond individual autonomy to encompass the rights of marginalized communities. He cited the Court’s interventions in gender equality cases such as Babita Puniya (2020) and Nitisha (2021), where discriminatory practices against women in the Army were struck down as affronts to dignity. Similarly, cases like Jeeja Ghosh v. Union of India (2016) and Vikash Kumar v. UPSC (2021) reinforced the dignity of persons with disabilities by mandating inclusive practices.
More recently, in Amar Jain v. Union of India (2025), the Court declared digital access a constitutional imperative, holding that bridging the digital divide is essential to secure dignity and equal participation in public life.
Justice Gavai reminded that human dignity was central to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of fraternity as the essence of democracy, and to the framers’ commitment in the Preamble to assure the dignity of every individual. By grounding constitutional interpretation in dignity, the judiciary has ensured that the Constitution remains a “living instrument, responsive to evolving societal challenges while faithful to its foundational values.”
Concluding with a resonant line from the privacy judgment, Justice Gavai declared: “To live is to live with dignity… Dignity is the core which unites the fundamental rights because the fundamental rights seek to achieve for each individual the dignity of existence.”
The event was attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Attorney General of India R Venkataramani, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, along with several sitting and former judges of the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, delivering the memorial address, said that both Parliament and the judiciary must work in harmony as equal pillars of democracy.
He noted that legislators and judges carried equal responsibility in ensuring that laws and constitutional values were implemented in a manner that protected citizens’ rights. “Parliament, by enacting laws, and the judiciary, by interpreting and enforcing them, together uphold the democratic vision of the Constitution,” he observed.
The Speaker highlighted that India’s democratic success was rooted in this balance between lawmaking and judicial oversight, with human dignity at its centre.