Supreme Court Judge Calls Out Delhi's Glorification In Indian Legal Culture; Says It Is Not Pinnacle Of...

Supreme Court Justice Aravind Kumar recently addressed the tendency to glorify Delhi as the center of legal excellence in India, stating definitively that “Delhi is not India, and India is not Delhi.” He argued that this perception, fueled by the location of the Supreme Court and high-profile litigation, is “utterly false.” Justice Kumar made these remarks at a seminar on Artificial Intelligence and dispute resolution, emphasizing the importance of Bangalore as a hub of innovation. He cautioned against the idea that legal excellence originates in Delhi, highlighting that a hierarchy of forums does not equate to a hierarchy of legal minds.

He further explained that the perceived superiority of Delhi’s legal culture is a product of institutional concentration, commercial amplification, and social repetition, not inherent merit. Justice Kumar stressed there is no constitutional basis for a “caste system” among bars, and an advocate’s worth isn’t determined by proximity to the capital. He asserted that Indian law is developed and refined across the country, in various courts and legal institutions, not solely in Delhi.

Justice Kumar also warned that if AI tools for the legal profession are trained on Delhi-centric data, they will perpetuate existing biases and fail to democratize the field. He cautioned that such a system would “hardcode metropolitan hierarchy into the future,” and instead, AI development must consider the diverse legal landscape of India to avoid reinforcing a “capital-centric imagination” as national reality.

(Source：Lawbeat)