'To live is to live with dignity': CJI B.R. Gavai says it is the very soul of the Constitution

Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Wednesday declared that “to live is to live with dignity,” stressing that human dignity is the very soul of the Constitution and the thread binding together liberty, equality, fraternity and justice.

Delivering the 11th Dr L.M. Singhvi Memorial Lecture, the CJI said dignity has been the Supreme Court’s guiding touchstone in expanding the scope of fundamental rights.

Justice Gavai said the framers of the Constitution placed dignity alongside liberty, equality, fraternity and justice in the Preamble, with B.R. Ambedkar describing fraternity as another name for democracy.

“Dignity or human dignity refers to the intrinsic worth owed to every individual. When the dignity of every citizen is recognised, it fosters solidarity and unity,” the CJI observed.

Although the word dignity does not appear explicitly in Part III, he noted, the Supreme Court has consistently read it into fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21. He recalled how the court in the late 1970s began protecting prisoners’ rights against cruel treatment and went on to expand dignity into areas of privacy, autonomy, gender equality, labour rights and disability rights.

Justice Gavai cited key judgments, including Sunil Batra (1978) on humane treatment of prisoners, Mohini Jain (1992) on education as a right flowing from dignity, K.S. Puttaswamy (2017) declaring privacy as the “constitutional core of dignity,” and Common Cause (2018) which recognized the “right to die with dignity.” More recently, he said, the Court struck down caste-based prison labour in Sukanya Shantha (2024) and held digital access for persons with disabilities as part of the right to life in Amar Jain (2025).

“The judiciary has emphasised human dignity as a pervasive principle that shapes the very spirit of the Constitution,” the CJI said, stressing that it ensures not just survival but conditions necessary for “self-respect, freedom and opportunity.”

Quoting from the privacy judgment, Justice Gavai concluded: “To live is to live with dignity… dignity is the core which unites the fundamental rights.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the real question before the country today is how the government and the judiciary can together deliver justice to the people. “There is an opportunity for debate in this aspect. We should all be united in one goal,” he said.

Reflecting on the journey since Independence, Birla noted that there have been many developments over the past 75 years. “We have constantly tried to bring change to old laws made by the British. And today I am happy to say that we have changed those laws according to India’s democracy,” he added.

Emphasising the continuing relevance of the founding document, the Speaker said the Constitution was not just a legal text. “The Constitution is a live document,” he underlined, pointing out that its adaptability has enabled reforms in tune with the needs of Indian society.

India