Who is Lady justice, does she wear a blindfold as shown in statues at many courts?
By : DC Web Desk
Update: 2024-10-19 07:53 GMT
The recently re-imagined statue of "Lady Justice" put up at the Judges Library of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi had garnered much attention on social media platforms. The statue, whose eyes are generally blindfolded, was not so in the redesigned statue.
Unlike the other statues of Lady Justice that boast a blindfold holding a scale and sword in each hand, the Lady Justice in the newly unveiled statue wears a saree and does away with the blindfold. The sword was also replaced with the "Constitution of India." The new statue was designed by a muralist Vinod Goswami, who teaches at the College of art in Delhi.
"Law is not blind, it sees everyone equally," CJI Chandrachud said commissioning the statue.
Here is a brief history on statue of Lady Justice:
The origins of the statue of Lady Justice traces back to Greek and Roman mythology. According to Greek mythology, "Themis" was the goddess of Justice, divine order, law and custom.
There are many legends and stories about Themis, including in the famous 'Iliad'. Most of the descriptions in the ancient literary works back the modern day depiction of 'Lady Justice' holding a scale and sword in each hand, but not all are in agreement about the blindfold. Earliest Roman coins have shown Lady Justice with sword and scale but without a blindfold.
Some argue that the Lady Justice wearing a blindfold was a satirical addition started in the 16th century.
Apart from the newly added statue in the Supreme Court, few other places in the world including at the Old Bailey courthouse in London also has a statue without covering the eyes.
In India, the colonial British government introduced the blindfolded statues of Lady Justice that still survive at many courts across the country.
The blindfolded statue of Lady Justice can be seen at the Calcutta High Court, Bombay High Court and many other courts in the country.