Do not lecture society or question the wisdom of legislatures: CJI to judges

Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia today said judges must “not give lectures to society” while doing their job and should also not “judge the wisdom of legislatures”.
“The High Courts and Supreme Court are courts of principles... Judges should not speak anything beyond the principles of a particular case. Let us not give lectures to society,” CJI Kapadia said.
He made these remarks while delivering the Justice P D Desai Memorial Lecture on Constitutional Morality.
“The problem is sometimes we judges impose our own values, likes or dislikes on society,” he said. “Judges should keep in mind that we can’t judge the wisdom of legislatures. We have to work for constitutional principles. I am of the view that if judges take decisions on principles, many of the controversies will not arise.”
He emphasised the need for students to work hard on legal concepts rather than being dependent on downloads from the Internet.