Bengaluru, Oct. 18 -- Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Saturday said young people questioning institutions was a "healthy sign of a vibrant democracy", emphasising that the judiciary must be willing to listen to the concerns and aspirations of the younger generation, who are not merely the country's future but active stakeholders in their present. "I believe that young people questioning institutions is a healthy sign of a vibrant democracy. The judiciary is no exception. We must be willing to listen to the concerns and aspirations of the younger generation...Disagreement should never be seen as a threat in itself. What matters is that we remain committed to constitutional values, even when we disagree," Justice Kant told HT in an interaction on the sidelines of the 34th convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, where he presided over the ceremony as chancellor. Asked how the judiciary should engage with a generation that increasingly expresses disagreement through public statements and social media, the CJI said the answer lay in greater dialogue, transparency in the functioning of institutions and legal education that helped young people understandboth their rights and responsibilities. "At the same time, it is important to understand that the judiciary functions through established constitutional processes. Not every issue can be addressed in the court of public opinion, and judges must ultimately decide cases on the basis of the Constitution, the law and the evidence before them," he emphasised. The convocation came after a period of uncertainty over the ceremony, which had earlier been cancelled amid objections from a section of students and alumni to the proposed participation of the CJI and Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra in the ceremony. The event was subsequently held on Saturday, with Justice Kant addressing the graduating students on the importance of dialogue and respect for differing viewpoints. In his address to the graduating students on Saturday, CJI Kant underscored the importance of intellectual independence, open debate and the ability to engage with opposing viewpoints, saying legal education was as much about developing these qualities as it was about mastering the law. "The purpose of a legal education extends beyond learningthe principles of criminal or constitutional law; it rests in the invigorating experience of encountering those who see the world differently than we do," he said....