‘Lawyer’s education begins in courtroom’

Prayagraj: Justice Rajan Roy of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court said that the real education of a lawyer begins and matures inside the courtroom, as he interacted with students of Dr Rajendra Prasad National Law University under its ‘Beyond Judgments' initiative on Wednesday.Reflecting on his journey from a law student at Lucknow University to the Bench, Justice Roy credited his seniors at the Bar for instilling discipline, humility and the art of keen observation. Sharing a personal anecdote, he said practising arguments before a mirror on his grandfather's advice helped him build confidence and clarity — habits that later proved invaluable in court.
Speaking on the shift from advocacy to adjudication, he observed that while a lawyer argues from a partisan position, a judge must rise above all sides and function strictly within constitutional boundaries. Judicial independence, he said, stems from inner strength, particularly in times of social media scrutiny and instant public opinion. Decisions must be delivered without fear or favour, guided solely by constitutional values.On integrity in judicial reasoning, Justice Roy underlined that judgments must be anchored in facts, evidence and law, and remain uninfluenced by emotions or external pressures. Referring to socially sensitive issues, including caste-based political mobilisation, he said courts must balance social realities with constitutional discipline and respect the functional limits of the legislature and executive. Highlighting concerns over access to justice in large states like Uttar Pradesh, he pointed to the low judge-to-population ratio and called for increased appointments, stronger alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, effective case filtering and strict action against frivolous litigation.While acknowledging that digitisation and video conferencing improved transparency and access, he expressed reservations about the use of AI in decision-making.He urged young lawyers to remain grounded in values, emphasising that the philosophy of life must prevail over the philosophy of money.