Justice D.Y. Chandrachud of the Supreme Court on Saturday asked students of a law university to have the “courage to dissent”.

Speaking at the convocation of Gujarat National Law University, Justice Chandrachud said: “Remember to question. Very often when we grow up in a good family, we are told to abide by authority. But as you grow up in life, it is also important to stand up. Be the dissenters.

“Because it is only through your power to express your views, to dissent, to have the courage of stating a contrary position that you make others stop and think.

“Courage is the hallmark of a lawyer. And by courage, I don’t mean merely the courage of standing up to government. We want citizens who have the courage to stand up for someone who cannot stand up for themselves.”

Justice Chandrachud said it needs courage to “stand up against a judge who believes in an issue and he is wrong”. “To stand up before that judge and say, sorry, you are wrong, in a very respectful way.”

Justice Chandrachud advised students to be optimistic. “The great danger in our society today is the danger of cynicism. It’s not of any form of extremism…”