CJI Gavai Speaks at Oxford Union on India’s Journey From Oppression to Justice

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai delivered a powerful address at the Oxford Union on Tuesday, focusing on how the Indian Constitution has transformed the lives of historically marginalised communities. Speaking on the topic “From Representation to Realisation: Embodying the Constitution’s Promise”, he highlighted how the Constitution gave a voice to those once silenced by the caste system.

Rising from Oppression to Leadership

Justice Gavai, the first Buddhist and only the second Dalit to become Chief Justice, spoke about his personal journey as a symbol of India’s changing social landscape. He reminded the audience that people like him were once considered “untouchables” and denied basic human rights. “Many decades ago, millions of citizens of India were called ‘untouchables’. They were told they were impure. They were told that they did not belong. They were told that they could not speak for themselves. But here we are today, where a person belonging to those very people is speaking openly, as the holder of the highest office in the judiciary of the country,” he said. He stressed that the Indian Constitution made this progress possible by ensuring equality and dignity for all.

Constitution: More Than a Document

The CJI explained that the Constitution is more than just a legal or political document for many Indians — it represents survival, hope, and change. “At the Oxford Union today, I stand before you to say: for India’s most vulnerable citizens, the Constitution is not merely a legal charter or a political framework. It is a feeling, a lifeline, a quiet revolution etched in ink. In my own journey, from a municipal school to the Office of the Chief Justice of India, it has been a guiding force,” Gavai shared.

Acknowledging Inequality, Demanding Change

Gavai pointed out that the Constitution doesn’t ignore the realities of caste, exclusion, or poverty. Instead, it actively seeks to change the system and restore dignity. “It does not pretend that all are equal in a land scarred by deep inequality. Instead, it dares to intervene, to rewrite the script, to recalibrate power, and to restore dignity,” he said.

He further noted that the Constitution echoes the voices of the oppressed and obligates the State not only to defend rights but also to uplift and repair social harm. “The Constitution of India carries within it the heartbeat of those who were never meant to be heard, and the vision of a country where equality is not just promised, but pursued.”

Marginalised Communities Helped Shape the Constitution

Justice Gavai reminded the audience that marginalised groups were not just beneficiaries of the Constitution — they helped shape it. He emphasised that Dalits, Adivasis, women, religious marginalized groups, and even groups once unfairly called “criminal groups” played key roles during its drafting. “From Dalits and Adivasis, to women, marginalized groups, persons with disabilities, and even those once unjustly branded as ‘criminal groups,’ their presence in the Constituent Assembly, and in the broader constitutional imagination, was a collective demand for justice,” he said.

Ambedkar’s Legacy in Power Sharing

Gavai praised Dr B.R. Ambedkar for embedding safeguards and affirmative action into the Constitution. Ambedkar, who led the Drafting Committee, believed that democracy could not survive in a deeply unequal society unless political power was also shared across communities. “In an unequal society, he believed, democracy cannot survive unless power is also divided among communities, not just among institutions. Representation, therefore, was a mechanism of redistributing power, not only between the legislature, executive, and judiciary, but among social groups that had been denied a share for centuries,” said CJI Gavai.