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Download the Speeches of all Hon'ble Chief Justices & Judges in ...

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Court. Libya and Chad both subscribe to <strong>the</strong> jurisdiction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> court. We went <strong>in</strong>to matter <strong>in</strong> great detail and we gave ajudgment hold<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> favour <strong>of</strong> Chad. Now, <strong>the</strong> Libyan armies <strong>in</strong> occupation, what happened? We could not enforce it butLibya and Chad got toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>y met on <strong>the</strong> site. The flag <strong>of</strong> Chad was ceremoni<strong>all</strong>y hoisted, <strong>the</strong> Libyan army form<strong>all</strong>ywithdrew. That is <strong>the</strong> way International Law should work and that is <strong>the</strong> way International Law can work and that is <strong>the</strong>way we must make it work if we want to have a peaceful world <strong>in</strong> future.Now, we see that big powers are build<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong>ir arsenals and <strong>all</strong> sorts <strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> that sort are go<strong>in</strong>g on, which are <strong>in</strong>violation <strong>of</strong> International Law, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g unilateral troop movements <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r countries and so on. So, we cannotpermit those to go without <strong>the</strong> whole body <strong>of</strong> peace lov<strong>in</strong>g citizen throughout <strong>the</strong> world, rais<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir hands and say<strong>in</strong>g ‘Hereis International Law, why are you not follow<strong>in</strong>g it?’ International Law is <strong>the</strong>re for <strong>all</strong> to obey. By one reason why <strong>the</strong>y donot, is that <strong>the</strong>y do not know enough <strong>of</strong> International Law and that is why I concisely made a plea that <strong>in</strong> our schools wemust teach peace, we must teach International Law and I congratulate Mr Gandhi for tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>itiative to <strong>in</strong>troducepeace studies <strong>in</strong>to this wonderful set <strong>of</strong> schools that he has and it is a world <strong>in</strong>itiative and we must try to spread <strong>the</strong> ideathroughout <strong>the</strong> world that every subject, if you are teach<strong>in</strong>g history, have a peace element <strong>in</strong> it. If you are teach<strong>in</strong>g geography,have a peace element <strong>in</strong> it, environment, and protection <strong>of</strong> natural resources. Teach<strong>in</strong>g physics, talk about nuclear weapons.Teach<strong>in</strong>g chemistry, talk about how chemistry is abused for chemical weapons and so on. There is wonderful scope for <strong>all</strong><strong>of</strong> this and <strong>the</strong> judiciary can also do a great deal and let me tell you a very <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g episode that occurred recently. I toldyou that <strong>in</strong> my judgment I categoric<strong>all</strong>y asserted dissent<strong>in</strong>g judgment <strong>of</strong> course; I categoric<strong>all</strong>y asserted that nuclear weaponsare illegal <strong>in</strong> <strong>all</strong> circumstances whatsoever. Now, recently some nuclear protestors <strong>in</strong> Scotland got onto <strong>the</strong> premises where<strong>the</strong> trident weapon was be<strong>in</strong>g produced and <strong>the</strong> trident submar<strong>in</strong>e. They got on to <strong>the</strong> submar<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong>y damaged <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>ery on <strong>the</strong> submar<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong>y threw some <strong>of</strong> it over board and <strong>the</strong>y were charged for trespass and for damage underScottish law. They were charged before Scottish Magistrate. Their defense was pr<strong>in</strong>cip<strong>all</strong>y my judgment. They referred tomy judgment and said that ‘Mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se weapons is a crime under <strong>the</strong> International Law. It is crime aga<strong>in</strong>st humanity;we are do<strong>in</strong>g this for <strong>the</strong> protection <strong>of</strong> humanity. Nobody else is mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> this matter <strong>the</strong>refore we are mov<strong>in</strong>g and we aredo<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> assertion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rights <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mank<strong>in</strong>d’. And, what do you th<strong>in</strong>k that Sheriff as <strong>the</strong>y c<strong>all</strong> magistrate <strong>the</strong>re,directed <strong>the</strong> Jury to acquit <strong>the</strong> accused and <strong>the</strong> accused were acquitted. That was a tremendous victory for InternationalLaw. Of course, <strong>the</strong> Lord Advocate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Scotland could not take that ly<strong>in</strong>g down, he had to appeal but he could notappeal aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> acquittal under Scottish Law but he appealed and po<strong>in</strong>ted out that my judgment was a dissent<strong>in</strong>gjudgment and not <strong>the</strong> judgment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> court and <strong>the</strong> court <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> appeal observed that <strong>the</strong> judgment relied by <strong>the</strong> Sheriff wasdissent<strong>in</strong>g judgment and not <strong>the</strong> judgment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> court but that doesn’t matter, what matters is that if <strong>the</strong> judges take <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>itiative <strong>the</strong>y can give <strong>the</strong> leadership <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> direction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> law and lot <strong>of</strong> International Law <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Environmental Law,Susta<strong>in</strong>able Development Law and so on, is actu<strong>all</strong>y undeveloped law which <strong>the</strong> judges can develop and <strong>the</strong> judges are <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> best position to develop it.So <strong>all</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se are wonderful avenues for concerned citizens to <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>the</strong>mselves. We have to generate respect forInternational Law, we cannot do so without <strong>the</strong> knowledge <strong>of</strong> International Law, we have got to <strong>the</strong>refore communicatethat knowledge at <strong>all</strong> levels. We have to universalize <strong>the</strong> International Law by say<strong>in</strong>g that it’s not <strong>the</strong> product <strong>of</strong> onecivilization or one culture, it’s a world wide product. We have to campaign and what greater <strong>in</strong>spiration for campaign<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>public <strong>in</strong>terest than that <strong>of</strong> Great Mahatma Gandhi. The way <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> force <strong>of</strong> ideas can overcome even <strong>the</strong> might <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>greatest empire on <strong>the</strong> Earth. So, we must not give up, we just go on because we know we are right and we proceed <strong>in</strong>po<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g out what <strong>the</strong> law requires and we must not as people say, we are pay<strong>in</strong>g so much not for evil deeds <strong>of</strong> evil doersbut for <strong>the</strong> idleness and <strong>in</strong>activity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> well mean<strong>in</strong>g people <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world because <strong>the</strong>y are not mov<strong>in</strong>g sufficiently <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>matters that are <strong>of</strong> importance. Also, we should remember that peace is not absence <strong>of</strong> war but <strong>the</strong> presence <strong>of</strong> justice. Wehave to secure justice throughout <strong>the</strong> world and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>re will be peace. All <strong>the</strong>se gross <strong>in</strong>equalities which are cause <strong>of</strong>anger, cause <strong>of</strong> hatred, cause <strong>of</strong> conflict, <strong>the</strong>y can be avoided if we th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> justice. So let us <strong>all</strong> work toge<strong>the</strong>r forworld where <strong>the</strong>re is peace, where <strong>the</strong>re is justice, where <strong>the</strong>re is obedience to International Law. Let us teach our childrento do so and worked up <strong>the</strong> totality <strong>of</strong> right th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g op<strong>in</strong>ion throughout <strong>the</strong> world. As so <strong>of</strong>ten been said that ‘The superpower <strong>of</strong> future will not be <strong>the</strong> super powers that have military power. The super power <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> future will be <strong>the</strong> united force<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> public op<strong>in</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> right th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g people <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> World’. Thank you--16--

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