Judiciary at the Crossroads, Introspection Necessary to Restore Neutrality: Justice Anand Venkatesh

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, Judge of the Madras High Court, addressing the Ninth State Conference of the Bar Association of India in Coimbatore on Saturday. | Photo credit: S.SIVA SARAVANAN

Stating that the judiciary was at a crossroads, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, a judge of the Madras High Court, said it was time for the judiciary to introspect and restore neutrality.

Commercialization of legal education, political affiliation of lawyers, politicization of judgments and lack of transparency in the Collegia system for appointment of judges in the country were among the foremost issues that needed to be addressed together with the dynamics of the judiciary and the bar, Justice Anand Venkatesh said while addressing the ninth state conference of the Bar Association of India on Saturday, September 19, in Coimb.

“This profession is not commercial in nature. It is essentially a noble service-oriented profession. Advocates are expected to be fearless and independent in protecting the rights of citizens, promoting the rule of law and protecting the independence of the judiciary itself,” said Justice Anand Venkatesh, referring to the Supreme Court ruling. “Among the elites, lawyers are perceived as intellectuals and among the oppressed as social activists,” he emphasized.

The decline in legal education was evident due to the growth of law schools. From just a few hundred during the 1990s, the country now had more than 1,500 law schools.

Candidates studying at the nation’s 27 law schools accounted for only 5% of the total number of barristers enrolled, he pointed out, expressing concern over the absence of subjects such as intellectual property rights and international law in government law school syllabi.

Candidates from government law colleges came out without any foundation. The junior lawyers were in a state of crisis because they were not guided by the senior lawyers. Artificial intelligence will take over documentation and designs and make them redundant, he warned.

Absence of Tamil Nadu Vice Chancellor Dr. Ambedkar Law University (TNDALU) was a cause for deep concern, a Supreme Court judge said.

The politicization of bar associations affected the neutrality of the judiciary. He wondered how the neutrality of the Bar Association of India could be accepted when its President, belonging to a political party, was also a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Course correction, even for justice, was possible only through neutral grids, he emphasized.

Published – 20 Sep 2026 0:36 IST