New Delhi: The video opens with a woman dressed in a lawyer’s black robe walking purposefully towards a freshly garlanded statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the Supreme Court complex, with couplets eulogising ‘The Father of Indian Constitution’ playing in the background.
The words go something like this — “Rutba mere sar ko tere samvidhan se mila hai, ye samman bhi mujhe tere samvidhan se mila hai; auro ko jo mila hai muqaddar se mila hoga, hume to muqaddar bhi tere samvidhan se mila hai”. Which roughly translates to, “My being has got this status from your constitution. I have also got this honour from your Constitution. Whatever others have got, they may have got it by fate. I have also got my fate from your Constitution”.
As the woman reaches the statue, she turns around, revealing a glint of pride in her eyes.
No, this is not a scene from a new OTT release, or music video, but a reel shot by a Supreme Court lawyer inside the apex court’s premises and uploaded the photo-sharing platform Instagram last month.
The newly unveiled statue of Dr Ambedkar — jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader, who headed the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution — in the Supreme Court precincts, has become a hit with those looking for an impressive backdrop for photos and videos shot inside the court premises.
The statue was unveiled by President Droupadi Murmu on 26 November, which is celebrated as Constitution Day, last year, in the presence of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The over 7-feet tall sculpture has become a prime attraction inside the apex court premises since, and dislodged the Supreme Court’s grand staircase which had so long been the favoured spot for photo and video enthusiasts.
Videos of lawyers posing in front of the statue can be easily found on Instagram, shared with the hashtags “#JusticeForAll” and “#LegalEagles”. Visitors to the court are also often seen indulging in a quick photo-op in front of it.
While the Ambedkar statue provides a glowing backdrop to the reels and images, the setting is complemented by creative frills such as inspirational quotes — “A good lawyer is one who fights not to win, but for justice” — graduation hat emoticons and popular songs and music from movies like Animal and KGF.
According to advocate Meenesh Kumar Dubey, joint secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the Ambedkar statue had been a “longstanding demand” from lawyers. Around 2014-15, SCBA had got a portrait of Dr Ambedkar and displayed it in the court library, said Dubey, adding that every year on Dr Ambedkar’s birth anniversary (14 April), lawyers, along with the CJI and other judges of the court, would pay tribute to him in front of the portrait.
For him, part of the attraction of the new stature is that it has Ambedkar dressed in a lawyer’s robes and has him facing the apex court. “It almost looks as if he is entering the court, which is why it looks more attractive,” said Dubey.
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The iconic stairs
The Ambedkar statue is positioned on the front lawn and garden within the Supreme Court premises. Mounted atop a pedestal, it has Ambedkar dressed in a lawyer’s robes, while holding a copy of the Constitution in his left hand. The statue has been made by sculptor Naresh Kumawat.
While inaugurating the statue in November last year, Murmu stressed on making justice accessible in the country, highlighting barriers like cost and language. She also paid tributes to Ambedkar, independent India’s first law minister.
The unveiling was followed by the plantation of saplings by President Murmu and CJI Chandrachud. On 6 December, on Dr Ambedkar’s death anniversary, the CJI and other judges of the Supreme Court paid tributes to Ambedkar in the apex court premises. In doing so, the CJI asserted, “We have to stand by the values of Dr Ambedkar”.
Before the statue was unveiled less than two months back, the stairs leading up to the courtrooms, were a major attraction, especially for young lawyers and interns looking to save their apex court moments in images and videos.
Visits to the Supreme Court for several of these interns would be incomplete without a slow-motion video of them walking down the wide staircase.
A win, even for a few senior lawyers, wouldn’t feel like a win, without a photo standing on that staircase — but the photo had to be clicked by someone standing at the end of the staircase, at an angle to capture the majesty of the Supreme Court in its entirety.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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