Addressing the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana here, he said the Indian Bar had played a crucial part in the independence of the country, in formulating the Constitution and thereafter in providing leadership for steering the fledgling Republic.
Observing that advocates played a vital part in the administration of justice and had a huge responsibility towards society, he said "the need for introspection is imperative and it should lead to an ethical renewal in actual practice."
Ansari said that it was essential for the profession to help expedite the dispensation of justice.
"The overwhelming majority of our founding fathers were lawyers including the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, our First President Babu Rajendra Prasad, the First Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution Dr Ambedkar.
"The role of lawyers in the initial years of our independence was critical in emphasising the Rule of Law in the governance of the country. As intellectuals and civil society activists, advocates were role models in society helping the marginalised and the downtrodden," he said. (MORE)
