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.
'Ram drohi': BJP slams Rahul Gandhi for …
04-05-2025
The BJP has strongly criticized Rahul Gandhi for his remarks at a Brown University event, where he referred to Lord Ram as a "mythological" figure. BJP leaders have accused Gandhi...
Read more
Jagannath temple row: TMC hits out at BJ…
04-05-2025
Following objections from the BJP regarding the naming of a newly inaugurated shrine in Digha, West Bengal, as Jagannath Dham, Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP-led Odisha government of hypocrisy...
Read more'Hasne ka jokhim khud uthayein': Akhiles…
04-05-2025
Taking to social media platform X, Yadav posted, "'Vishva Haasya Divas' par danda tana hai, kyunki Bhajpa raaj mein hansna mana hai. (On World Laughter Day, the stick is raised...
Read moreSikh student confronts Rahul Gandhi on 1…
04-05-2025
During a US visit, Rahul Gandhi encountered tough questions from a Sikh student. The query concerned the Congress party's history with the Sikh community. It specifically addressed the 1984 anti-Sikh...
Read morePadma Shri Yoga guru Baba Sivanand passe…
04-05-2025
Yoga practitioner Baba Sivanand, believed to be 128 years old, passed away in Varanasi after being hospitalised for health complications. Prime Minister Modi mourned his death as an "irreparable loss...
Read moreIndia conducts first trial flight of str…
04-05-2025
India's DRDO achieved a milestone with the successful maiden flight of its Stratospheric Airship Platform in Madhya Pradesh. The high-altitude airship, developed by ADRDE, ascended to 17 kilometers, transmitting sensor...
Read moreArtillery crisis? Pakistan’s ammo could …
03-05-2025
Pakistan's artillery ammunition reserves are critically low, potentially limiting its capacity to sustain a war with India to just four days, according to sources. Outdated production facilities and recent arms...
Read more
'Sought and received permission': Dismis…
03-05-2025
A CRPF jawan, Munir Ahmed, is contesting his dismissal after being accused of concealing his marriage to a Pakistani national, despite claiming he received official permission. Ahmed asserts he informed...
Read moreWatch: Priyanka Gandhi halts convoy, ens…
03-05-2025
"The accident occurred when the car in which Noushad, a native of Koyilandy, and his family were travelling collided with another car at Eengappuzha," captioned a video posted by the...
Read more'No welcome, till there is revenge': Min…
03-05-2025
Union Minister CR Patil, in a strong statement against terrorism, refused all welcoming gestures at a Gujarat event following the Pahalgam attack that killed 26. Patil declared he would not...
Read more
J&K LG finds business rules 'contrar…
03-05-2025
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has sent back the J&K transaction of business rules (TBR) proposed by the Omar Abdullah government, seeking clarification on procedural adherence. The LG's office found the...
Read moreDays before Pahalgam attack, intelligenc…
03-05-2025
Intelligence chatter before the Pahalgam massacre indicated terror groups planned to target tourist spots in J&K, especially hotels near Srinagar. Despite generic warnings about potential attacks on tourists, laborers, and...
Read more
