'Events in Bangladesh underline importance of freedom and independence': CJI DY Chandrachud | Latest News from India

India's Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Thursday cited the example of crisis-ridden Bangladesh, saying the unrest in the neighbouring country was a “clear reminder” of the importance of independence and self-sufficiency.

The Chief Justice was addressing a gathering to mark the 78th Independence Day.

“We chose the insecurity of freedom in 1950 and what is happening today in Bangladesh, for example, is a clear reminder of how precious freedom is to us. It is very easy to take freedom and independence for granted, but it is important to understand the stories of the past to remind us how important these things are,” he said in Delhi.

Last week, Bangladesh was plunged into a political crisis when then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned after a months-long student uprising against her. She is in Delhi, where she arrived on the day of her ouster; in Bangladesh, the interim government of Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is struggling to targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities that began with Hasina’s forced resignation.

CJI Chandrachud, meanwhile, described Independence Day as an opportunity to “honour the commitment of those who shape their lives to be more beautiful and those who work to make them more beautiful.”

“This morning I read a beautifully written piece by the well-known singer Chitra Sri Krishna from Karnataka. The title of the piece is Songs of Freedom. The idea of ​​freedom is deeply woven into Indian poetry,” he added.

The CJI also paid tribute to lawyers who gave up their legal practices to join the freedom movement and named Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, Govind Vallabh Pant, Devi Prasad Khaitan, Sir Syed Mohammed Saadullah and others.

(With ANI inputs)