Overview

• Delivering the 11th Dr. L. M. Singhvi Memorial Lecture, Chief Justice B. R. Gavai said dignity binds liberty, equality, fraternity and justice and has guided rights expansion.
• He linked dignity to individual autonomy and self-determination, saying constitutional protections must secure conditions for self-respect, freedom and opportunity.
• He cited landmark rulings including Sunil Batra (1978), Mohini Jain (1992), K.S. Puttaswamy (2017) and Common Cause (2018), and recent decisions such as Sukanya Shantha (2024) and Amar Jain (2025).
• Gavai referenced additional dignity-based judgments, including Vishakha on workplace harassment, a recent ban on hand-pulled rickshaws in Matheran, and guidelines curbing summary demolitions.
• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended and called the Constitution a live document, urging dialogue on how government and judiciary can work together to deliver justice.