Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud advocated for imparting legal education at the newly established National Law University in Hindi medium, so that the best students from Uttar Pradesh could become the best lawyers. Speaking at Prayagraj after inaugurating the maiden academic session of Dr Rajendra Prasad National Law University (RPNLU), Prayagraj, the CJI said, “I appeal to the authorities of the National Law University here at Prayagraj to ensure that the medium of instruction takes place in Hindi, so that the best students from Uttar Pradesh will become the best lawyers that will practice in the high court. Many of them will join district judiciary, some of them will join politics, others will do what they want to do, but they will keep the great culture and historical tradition of our state burning bright,” he added. He said that the contemporary legal education system only favors certain English-speaking urban students. The data from the five NLUs reveals about the composition of the schools in terms of gender region and the premium attached to the fluency of the English language and the lack of knowledge of the English language among students acts as a hindrance of the full participation and assimilation of the students coming from diverse backgrounds, he added. He said that establishment of NLUs across the country has raised the level of the quality of students, but these remain limited in accessibility and effective social contribution. “The quality of education should be equal in all the universities,” said the CJI. “In this era of technology and the translation in various regional languages, the Supreme Court has translated around 36,000 decisions of the SC from the 1950s up to 2024. “This is done because we want that every citizen who is not efficient in English should also get the reach of the decisions. And this is a free service and a quality one too,” he said. The CJI also said even the opportunities such as intern, moot court and competitions are conventionally designed to favour students coming from elite and English-speaking background, therefore, college campuses must be for the culturally diverse student population. “They must provide a dynamic place where differences of opinion and belief interact,” he said. Talking about the constructive role of lawyers, the CJI said that from the Indian Independence movement to the Constitution-making process and to contemporary Indian politics, lawyers have significantly contributed to nation-building. “Lawyers have a wider role of nation-building and have a crucial and multifaceted role in society,” said the CJI. The CJI also praised the lawyers who provide free legal services to those who cannot afford it and said that it is the crucial function of lawyers in society. Quoting the work of Munshi Premchand and his novel Gaban, Chandrachud said that the main purpose of education is to understand human sentiments. Other dignitaries who were present and spoke on the inauguration of NLU, Prayagraj, included university’s Visitor, Justice Manoj Misra of SC, varsity’s chancellor Justice Arun Bhansali who is also the Chief Justice of Allahabad HC, advocate general Ajay Kumar Mishra and chairman, Bar Council of India, MK Mishra. Vice chancellor of the University, Prof Usha Tandon, felicitated the CJI and the UP chief minister at the event.