The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the National Seminar on Welfare of Lawyers organized by the Bar Council of Delhi at a function at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi today (May 4, 2013).
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that he was particularly happy about the focus on women in the Seminar because there is a wide recognition of the need to ensure the safety and security of women in our society at large. He said that women lawyers can play an important leadership role in this regard. He stressed that the legal fraternity, especially women lawyers must be in the vanguard of enabling our nation reset its moral compass. Lawyers and the Bar Council of Delhi must do everything possible to disseminate the values of human dignity and equality as well as ensuring that the rights of women are protected at all times, he added.
The President said that lawyers should drive the fulfilment of democratic values and lawyers as a group must campaign for positive change in society. He stated that while representing their clients preserve the rule of law and act as safeguards of the individual rights of citizens, lawyers have a larger role to play in our constitutional democracy and should not shy away from this responsibility.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Union Minister for Law & Justice and Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi.