The Supreme Court has unveiled a new statue of “Lady Justice”, which is installed in the judges’ library.
- The old statue was typically a blindfolded woman holding a set of scales in one hand and a sword in the other.
- The new statute has been designed by Vinod Goswami, a muralist who teaches at the College of Art in Delhi.
- The new, six-foot-tall statue It is of a saree-clad woman with no blindfold, holding scales and, instead of the sword, a copy of the Constitution of India.
- The blindfold in the classic rendition has been popularly understood to represent the impartiality of justice, whereas the new statue with unimpeded vision is meant to signify that Law is not blind it sees everyone equally.
History
- The imagery of Lady Justice can be traced back to Greek and Roman mythology. Themis is known as the goddess of justice, wisdom, and good counsel — and is often depicted as a woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other.
- The first Roman emperor Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE) introduced the worship of Justice in the form of a goddess known as Justitia (or Iustitia).
- Justitia, like Themis, did not wear a blindfold. The British Raj introduced the iconography of Lady Justice.
- At the Calcutta High Court — first constructed in 1872 — images of Lady Justice were carved into the pillars supporting the building.
