India, Oct. 29 -- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Wednesday that disagreement and criticism of the judiciary are legitimate, provided they are expressed with fairness, restraint and regard for institutional integrity. Speaking in New Delhi at the second edition of the Monthly Lecture Series on Law, Justice and Legal Education, the CJI argued that the standing of the justice system rests in part on how advocates comport themselves, in court and away from it.

His address, on 'The Importance of Ethics in the Legal Profession', dwelt on conduct rather than doctrine. Justice Kant said ethical questions had acquired fresh weight in a profession increasingly shaped by public visibility and commercial interests. Legal knowledge, he sub...