Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar felicitated meritorious tribal students & beneficiaries of various government schemes.
He also inaugurated/laid the foundation stone of various developmental projects in a function held on martyrdom day of Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah in Jabalpur.
He said “I bow to the great heroes born on the holy land of Madhya Pradesh on the martyrdom day of Gondwana rulers Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah. It is because of sacrifices like them that today we decide our own destiny”.
Madhya Pradesh is the heart of the country. It is a tribal dominated state, he said.
The tribes here have a very rich heritage, he said.
The whole world knows the valor and sacrifice of Rani Durgavati of Gondwana. The country will never forget the sacrifices of his descendants, Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah, who were his descendants in the revolt of 1857, Dhankhar said.
Tribal Jannayaks have played an important role in India’s freedom struggle, but unfortunately they did not get the place they deserved in history. We have to bring the struggle and sacrifice made by those brave great men for the freedom of the country in front of the society, he said.
Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population of the country. It is a matter of joy that the Central and State Governments together are making serious efforts to make tribals capable, he said.
In another function, he addressed the first Justice J.S. Verma Memorial lecture.
Justice Verma was Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court during 1986 to 1989, while I happened to be the President of the Bar Association and also member of Bar Council, he said.
His tenure was marked with judicial ecosystem upliftment, enhancing the transparency and accountability, he said.
While in Supreme Court, he rendered number of judgments that have wholesomely impacted society, Dhankhar said.
In his landmark judgment of Vishaka & Ors vs State Of Rajasthan & Ors, he (Justice Verma) judicially structured the mechanism for adequately providing for specific protection of women from sexual harassment in work places, he said.
The judgment has another significant aspect of judicial jurisdiction sublimity that calls for focus.
In the judgment he reflected, “These directions would be binding and enforceable in law until suitable legislation is enacted to occupy the field” This is an instance of scrupulous adherence to doctrine of separation of power, he said.
Our Shastras say ‘धर्मो रक्षति रक्षित:’ -‘the law protects us if we preserve its sanctity’. This is ‘nectar’ of democracy and rule of law. There is widespread and well premised perception that this wholesome principle is contemporaneously under strain, he said.
Spinally strong, fair and independent Justice System is safest guarantee to blossoming and flourishing of democratic values, he said.
Dignity of judges and respect for judiciary is inviolable as these are fundamentals of rule of law and constitutionalism, he said.
All in the country need to realize that no one is above law, he said.
People in authority and high positions need to take cognizance of this in larger public interest and to further and enhance democratic echo system, he said.
Some issues do call insightful stance. We are living in times where even well guarded ‘secrets’ are at best “open secrets”.
Late Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma will always be best remembered for path-breaking judgments and ideas that have empowered citizens and enabled the government to overhaul institutions for the larger welfare of the people, he said.
He was in Jabalpur on Sunday to attend these functions.
