This lawyer had lamented that he had been disappointed by several Supreme Court justices, including a prominent one from Maharashtra, usually a progressive state which always shook off the shackles of bondage. “But there were enough among the lower rungs of the judiciary who held the Constutution supreme and remained our hope throughout those months,” he said.
I have my own bone to pick with Bhushan – some years ago he teamed up with the fascist forces and for all his erudition and courage failed to see how they were leading India into the dark ages. It has taken years to recognise that these dark forces do not need an ‘official’ and ‘Constitutional’ Emergency to bend journalists or judges to their will but now, like the advocate from the Emergency days, I am beginning to think that lawyers like Bhushan – and there are many more of them battling the authorities – might become the bane of their existence and not allow all their evil designs to succed.
Bhushan's refusal to apologise and rethink his statement or move for a reconciliation or otherwise give in, quoting Mahatma Gandhi on taking his punishment cheerfully, I believe, could yet prove the first major strike towards the restoration of democratic processes and bringing its revered institutions back on an even keel.
Gandhiji's defiance of the British every step of the way confounded the authorities of that time. I am sure today's authorities have found Bhushan equally confounding. In fact, like Bhushan, we all need to return to the Mahatma Gandhi’s brand of defiance and passive resistance – and in view of this government's previous attempts to deny us basic rights, as in the Citizenship Laws, disobedience rather than contesting them in the courts.
For today that estate of democracy is as much on the side of the government as the institution was with the British during the freedom movement. We know how Gandhiji broke the salt law by cocking a snook at a British judge in Ahmedabad court, who famously forbade him from undertaking the salt march.
But we must also remember that the first strike for Independence began from Champaran in Bihar where Gandhi defied magisterial orders to visit the district and, when hauled up before the court, admitted he had broken the ban order and was admitting to it not to seek mercy or clemency but to accept whatever punishment the court deemed fit. It left the British grinding their teeth and I wonder how many people then realised that British rule in India had just been delivered a body blow and would soon come to an end.
Prashant Bhushan is no Mahatma Gandhi and only recently has collaborated with fascist forces as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru would never have done. But given the times he and others like him may well be given the benefit of the doubt for being taken in by certain elements and trusting them to give us a Ram Rajya.
Now faced with the asuras of democracy, people are slowly waking up to what they lost when they voted the UPA out of power in 2014. The Congress restored democracy after the Emergency that lasted 18 months and lost the election thereafter, allowed the judiciary its independence even when the judgments were unfair and not to their liking, did not threaten or murder independent judges, did not politicise the army, did not go against the Constitution as in the abrogation of Article 370 and did not treat any one as a second class citizen.
I do not believe anyone could have fathomed the extent of lies, crony capitalism, violence and mauling of democratic institutions this regime would go to retain power. Before and after the Emergency we may have faulted the government on various issues but never for turning India into a travesty of its full bodied and full-blooded republican ideals and moorings. The first bugle has been sounded for the restoration of democracy. We must all help fight the third war for Independence.
'Raja babu' still to digest Lok Sabha po…
06-04-2025
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut criticized Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh for not accepting his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. Ranaut also accused Singh's mother Pratibha Singh of...
Read more
'At least put your signature in Tamil': …
06-04-2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized Tamil Nadu leaders for not signing letters in Tamil during a public address. He also urged the state to offer medical courses in Tamil to...
Read more
'Some people have habit of crying': PM M…
06-04-2025
Prime Minister Modi refuted Chief Minister Stalin's claim of fund neglect, stating the central government allocated triple the funds for Tamil Nadu's development compared to the prior decade. Despite Stalin's...
Read more
'Generational shift under way in Congres…
06-04-2025
Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot emphasises a gradual generational shift within the party, with young leaders increasingly taking on key roles. The Congress aims to strengthen its support among various...
Read more'Divine coincidence': PM Modi’s Ram Setu…
06-04-2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared an aerial video of Ram Setu on Ram Navami, which he described as a 'divine coincidence' that coincided with his virtual viewing of the Surya...
Read more
UN elects India by acclamation to ISAR f…
05-04-2025
India has been appointed to the United Nations Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR) for the period 2025–2027. This appointment reflects the global...
Read more
Amit Shah calls Naxals brothers, says no…
05-04-2025
Home Minister Amit Shah urged Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bastar to lay down arms and join the mainstream, highlighting the government's commitment to development and peace. Shah emphasized the need for...
Read moreSL confers its highest award for foreign…
05-04-2025
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake honoured PM Narendra Modi with the Mitra Vibhushana award for his friendship towards Sri Lanka. Modi, on a state visit to Colombo, was also welcomed at...
Read moreEye on China, India inks SL deal for ene…
05-04-2025
Prime Minister Modi's visit to Sri Lanka led to a tripartite agreement involving the UAE to develop Trincomalee as an energy hub. The project aims to enhance Sri Lanka's energy...
Read moreFake 'UK doctor' did heart surgeries, ma…
05-04-2025
Authorities in Madhya Pradesh are investigating a man posing as a UK-trained cardiologist who is alleged to have performed fatal surgeries, leading to at least seven deaths. The suspect, whose...
Read more
