Hyderabad: IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu on Sunday urged law firms, legal professionals and young advocates to zealously safeguard our egalitarian Constitution, authored by Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar and nurtured by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He cautioned that over the past decade, forces with little faith in democracy have attempted to undermine both the Constitution and democratic values. “It is time for all of us to rise to the occasion and protect the Constitution, which was envisioned to secure the welfare of every citizen,” he said.Speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the Hyderabad branch of the London-based 52 Gates Law Firm, the IT minister said, “Today, we have a central govt that is trying to disrupt the Constitution. We have dictators who are hijacking it. Their goal is to destabilise democracy. Our leader Rahul Gandhi is putting in all efforts to protect the Constitution and is raising awareness about the need to safeguard it from disruptive forces.“Calling upon law firms and lawyers to join the ‘Save the Constitution’ mission, Sridhar Babu encouraged them to share their legal knowledge with the public, so that ordinary people become aware of the rights enshrined in the Constitution for their safety and welfare. He also urged legal professionals and businessmen to set up offices and enterprises in Hyderabad, promising a supportive environment where they can thrive. “We are striving to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and to bring parity between the haves and the have-nots. Support our efforts to close this divide and extend your services to the underprivileged,” he added.Nigel Booth, a representative from Manchester Law University and head of the firm’s knowledge centre, stated that legal professionals who fail to adapt to the age of artificial intelligence risk falling behind. He urged lawyers to embrace AI, which is set to reshape the legal sector in many ways. Others present at the event included Telangana mining corporation chairman Anil Kumar Eravarthy, Zaheerabad MLA Madan Mohan Rao, former minister Dr A Chandrasekhar, 52 Gates Legal Firm associates Omar Farooqui and Wajahat Ali, MLA Laxmikantha Rao, and several others.