BHUBANESWAR: The evolution of legal system over the years in India has ushered in social changes, triggering transformation across fields, said Justice Sashikanta Mishra of Orissa High Court on Saturday.
Delivering a lecture on the subject ‘Law as an Instrument of Social Change and Good Governance’ at SOA University here, Justice Mishra said, “The law operates as an engine of change. When the law acts, the society follows.”
He said during the pre-constitution era, the society lay fractured with the evil of untouchability dividing the people. Those dubbed as untouchables were debarred from entering any temple and there was no clarity as to how to deal with such a situation.
“However, Article 17 of the Indian constitution removed this barrier making every citizen equal. It ensured that no one could treat another person as an untouchable,” he said adding, judicial intervention in different areas over the years brought revolutionary changes in the society.
Referring to legal interventions which made it mandatory to sport a helmet while riding a two-wheeler or wear the seat belt while driving a car, Justice Mishra said earlier cars did not have any provision of seat belt but today if the driver does not wear one he was liable to be punished.
He also spoke on how law ended a cruel act like ‘Sati’ while making a progressive idea like widow remarriage legal and an evil like child marriage illegal.
Addressing the students, Justice Mishra said, “You should know how the law operates and should have an open mind. The human mind is like a parachute which works when it is open.”
The event, which was part of the SOA lecture series, was attended by SOA’s students of legal studies and agriculture and faculty members and presided over by the university’s vice-chancellor Prof Pradipta Kumar Nanda.