New Delhi, Sept. 7 -- Supreme Court judge Justice BV Nagarathna on Saturday underscored that the rule of law is the essence of democracy, reminding that it is the duty of courts to enforce it "without fear or favour, affection or ill will." She emphasised that India's independent judiciary has been the cornerstone in preserving this principle. Justice Nagarathna, who is in line to become the country's first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027, was delivering the convocation address at the National Law University, Delhi, where she urged graduating law students to embrace integrity, empathy and constitutional values as guiding principles of their careers. "You will not just be lawyers but custodians of India's unfinished and ongoing project of transformation," she added. She explained that the transformative vision of the Constitution can be understood through three themes -- Equality code, which lays down a framework for substantive equality that seeks to overcome institutional and structural barriers; Fraternity, which is a constitutional commitment to combating economic exclusion, social boycotts, religious excommunication and workplace exploitation, and Liberty code, which is a vision of the State as an enabler of individual freedoms and as a vehicle of social transformation. Justice Nagarathna closed her address by saying that the Constitution is a living instrument that must animate debates, inspire reforms, and shape justice. "It must be spoken of in homes and classrooms, cited in judgments and policy papers, and defended in public life. It is lawyers, judges, and law teachers who must lead that effort."...