A new statue of Lady Justice in the Supreme Court, now holding a copy of the Indian Constitution instead of a sword and without a blindfold, has drawn sharp criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, who called the changes a political propaganda by the BJP and RSS.
"The court's job is to protect the constitution and serve justice as per the constitution. But is it happening in the SC? What are they trying to prove by replacing the sword in the hand of the justice statue with the constitution? They are already killing the Constitution and by removing the blindfold from the statue, they want everyone to openly see corruption and the murder of the Constitution... This is a propaganda and a campaign of the BJP and RSS," Raut said as quoted by ANI.
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According to an NDTV report, the statue was commissioned at the orders of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
Before this, the Lady Justice was commonly depicted as a woman wearing a blindfold while holding scales and a sword. The blindfold was meant to represent equality before law, implying that justice should be delivered without regard to wealth, power or status. The scales represented balance and fairness, while the sword was meant to represent the power of the law. However, the new statue is being seen as an attempt to leave the colonial legacy behind while underlining the message that the law is not blind in new India. It now stands tall at the judges' library in the Supreme Court.
Last month, President Droupadi Murmu also unveiled the new flag and insignia of the Supreme Court to mark its 75th year.