Justice N. Kotiswar Singh on law, careers, hope and new world of law at Parul University!
About Justice N. Kotiswar Singh
Hon’ble Mr. Justice N. Kotiswar Singh is a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, elevated on 18 July 2024. His judicial career has spanned the Gauhati High Court, the Manipur High Court and the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, where he served as Chief Justice, and he earlier served as Advocate General of Manipur. He delivered the valedictory address at Samvidhan Pe Charcha 4.0.
Choosing law by choice, not by default
Justice Singh began warmly, calling it a privilege to address some of the most talented law students from more than 40 universities. He observed that in earlier generations law was often a fallback for those who could not get admission elsewhere, whereas today most students choose it deliberately. That choice, he said, changes everything, and he used a simple image: a child who is force-fed learns little, while a child who wants to eat absorbs far more. As the profession fills with people genuinely interested in law, he said, the quality of the justice system is bound to improve.
On money, hope and the early years
His most direct advice was about money and patience. More than a lakh students graduate each year from around 1,800 law colleges, he noted, and the top firms cannot absorb everyone. To those who are not recruited at once, he said plainly: do not be disappointed and do not let despondency set in.
“Don’t think of money when you start.”
He put it with humour, that students should stay devoted to Maa Saraswati, and that Lakshmi would visit in time. But for everyone except those who are absorbed by firms or judicial service the struggle of the early years is real, he added, and the time spent in understanding society and the system is priceless to a successful lawyer. It’s not about the money, it’s about the tenacity and perseverance.
A wider world than judge or advocate
Justice Singh advised students to not get caught up in the notion that they should only become a judge or litigator. In an increasingly dynamic economy, with the number of start-ups and enterprises in medicine, trade, sports and more; there is a strong need for skilled legal counselors who comprehend national and international law and its application. He noted that areas that are ripe for early entry include artificial intelligence and legal software, in which attorneys will need to be part of the technologists who develop the software; forensic science, where too many cases are lost due to lawyers and judges missing key information from the reports before them; and cybercrime and intellectual property. Today, a lawyer has to be near to a master of all things and he even suggested the university, being independent and having the freedom to design its own syllabus, to consider introducing integrated courses that involve law students learning forensic science and doctors/engineers learning law.
Dignity at the core
Asked what law is ultimately for, he was unequivocal.
“The most important is the dignity of the individuals. That is the core.”
Any interpretation that does not respect the dignity of the individual, he said, is not good law, and a country is democratic not because it says so but by how much freedom and respect it actually gives people. He urged all the students irrespective of their subjects to know about Indian society, and asked them to remember the Preamble of the Constitution as it is the one document which unites the country across languages, food and region. His final words were the same as they always were: “Try to keep your curiosity alive, your questions alive, your optimism and patience, and, most important of all: be a smart lawyer; people don’t ask what your degree is, they ask me to solve the problem before them.
