Individual cannot be bereft of constitutional morality: ex-CJI Dipak Misra

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, who headed the benches that delivered a series of judgements on important issues including the criminalisation of politics, adultery, homosexuality, lynching and Sabarimala temple, said on Friday that an individual cannot be bereft of the idea of constitutional morality.

Justice Misra, in his address at a leadership summit hosted by Hindustan Times, said the constitutional sovereignty was supreme and India has a robust independent judiciary which is governed by rule of law.

Speaking on the apex court allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple, he said: "We introduced the concept of constitutional morality and we have said that this morality is one which is evolved by the Constitution.

"I am happy that I am described as warrior of gender justice. You cannot keep the women of a particular religion out of a temple. Women have to be respected and she is equal partner of a man in life."
"We must cultivate the idea of tolerance, the idea of acceptance , the idea of respecting others' views, unless we do that we are violating the rule of law and Constitutional morality."