Date – 2023-04-03

The National Judicial Academy (NJA), Bhopal is an institution which is little-known outside the justice delivery system. It is an institution established to strengthen the administration of Justice through knowledge sharing. It is a misnomer to speak of teaching judges. One does not teach fish how to swim. NJA events are a platform to share knowledge and experience amongst judges, to fine tune their understanding of current developments in law. It is a forum for judges to express doubts, argue solution and enhance their knowledge through discussion and debate. NJA also facilitates greater understanding between India and its neighbours. Judges from neighbouring countries come over to NJA to participate in specially organised programs through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) platform of the Ministry of External Affairs. It is a privilege and a unique experience to be a resource person in the events conducted by NJA. The experience a single lawyer addressing a hall full of judges is striking. It is the inverse of a lawyer’s daily experience where one of two judges sit in a court hall full of lawyers. If presenting arguments in a brief before one or two judges is difficult, the difficulty is multiplied many times while presenting a topic for discussion before a room full of judges. The experience also gives a window to the difficult life of judges and the unique problems faced by them. Presenting topics for discussion at the NJA makes the resource person a better advocate and a better human being. It is also a way of repaying my debt to the justice delivery system which has given me much over the last four decades.