Misconception that traditional values antithetical to democratic ideas: CJI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Tuesday said there is a misconceived perception that the traditional values of communities of India and Bhutan are antithetical to modern democratic ideas such as liberty, equality and dissent. Speaking at the third convocation ceremony of Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law of Bhutan, CJI Chandrachud said both India and Bhutan are home to communities that rely on traditional community-based dispute resolution and governance mechanisms. He said that such mechanisms must not be shunned as traditional and archaic. Instead, they must be supplemented by modern constitutional ideas. "There is often a misconceived perception that the traditional values of our communities are antithetical to modern democratic ideas such as liberty, equality and dissent. However, a dispassionate look at the history of our communities in Asia often yields a different answer," he told the young graduates. Pointing out that in India, the Constitution itself provides