LAGATAR 24 DESK
“In the age of fake news and disinformation, we need journalists more than ever to document the unseen and expose the fault lines in our society”, Justice D. Y. Chandrachud has remarked, reports Live Law.
The Supreme Court judge was delivering his address at the 11th Convocation and Founder’s Day Ceremony at the O. P. Jindal Global University.
“After being affected with Covid twice in one year, I always ask myself one question every night before I end my day and that question is that if this indeed was to be the last day of my life, have I done something little today to transform, not just my loved ones, but those around me, possibly even those who I have never met. Even 75 years after Independence, many communities in India are effectively waiting to test the fruits of democracy which was inherited by us because of our hierarchical social and economic structure. Many of our citizens are deprived of equality in social and economic spheres. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar warned us that our structures of political democracy are precarious until they are not supported by social democracy. He defined social democracy as a way of life which recognises liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life. But it is not just the responsibility of the government or of the judiciary to promote social democracy and social justice. The branch of the State to which I belong, the judiciary, has a vital role to play in fostering social democratic values. However, the quest for a constitutional culture is not limited to courtrooms or to the black letter of the law. It exists in all of us. When Benjamin Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman accosted him and asked about the type of government the Constitutional Convention had deliberated upon. He replied, ‘A republic, if you can keep it”. His reply is prescient for all of us in India today. Our constitutional culture does not maintain itself, it is for each one of us as citizens to participate in the slow but vital task every day of transforming our Constitution from a charter of ideas to a reflection of reality”, continued the judge.
“The realisation of those values begins at home in the lives of each one of you. As citizens, we hold the responsibility and the duty which accompanies it as inheritors and guardians of our Constitution to imbibe and to inculcate constitutional ideals into our daily lives, to promote social harmony, inclusion and plurality. It ought to be regarded as a constitutional duty. It is even a moral obligation. As all of you are in true sense a representative of a new India, as you exit the hallowed halls of your university, you should introspect how your actions could contribute to strengthening the constitutional ethos of social democracy in India. Social democracy is not a form of government but a medium to secure social justice. Social justice in turn ensures that equal social and economic opportunities are available to all the people in our society regardless of religion, race, caste, sex, gender, place of birth, or sexual orientation. Our laws provide for formal equality of opportunity. However in reality we live in an asymmetrical world where opportunities are unequally distributed. Such opportunities open many doors for the ‘haves’ but shut the doors for the ‘have nots’. In our quest for social justice, we must strive to provide equal opportunity to persons especially from marginalised backgrounds to empower them to effectively enjoy their own sense of liberty. As you enter into the next stage of your life where many of you will undertake different professional responsibilities, as lawyers, journalists, as policymakers, as economics, as academicians, as entrepreneurs and business managers, I exhorted you to contribute towards strengthening democratic structures in India and across the globe in your own meaningful way. I understand that all of you have evolved from different circumstances, you have your dreams to realise and responsibilities to discharge. A small contribution on your part will create a big difference in someone else’s life. In doing so, you elevate your own sense of being”, canvassed Justice Chandrachud.
“Those entering the profession of journalism can empower students and people by becoming their voice. The true purpose of journalism is to purvey information, opinion and ideas so that people can make informed choices and exercise their liberties. The Supreme Court in its judgment of Arnab Ranjan Goswami v. Union of India observed that India’s freedom will rest safe as long as journalists can speak truth to power without being chilled by the threat of reprisal. In the age of fake news and disinformation, we need journalists more than ever to document the unseen and expose the fault lines in our society”, emphasised Justice Chandrachud.
“Architects can ensure that they construct green buildings with the purpose of creating a positive impact on the climate and the natural environment. You can also ensure that the buildings which you designed are accessible to persons with disabilities. The ideals of social justice require all of us to contemplate the obstacles there are to full and effective empowerment of all our citizens and to take effective steps to address these obstacles. By doing so, we are treating each person as an end in itself rather than as a means to the ends of others or our own”, explained Justice Chandrachud.
“In today’s age of social media, we are trapped in information bubbles which lead to intellectual isolation. I exhort you to break free from the shackles of algorithms and to reach out to those on the other side of the spectrum and understand their perspective. If we can follow these ideals, the dream of achieving a social democracy can become true work-in-progress. India needs the services of well trained and well equipped personnel such as you for attaining its economic and social transformation. Independence did not just mark a freedom from colonial rule, independence was a watershed in a social transformation which our society intended to achieve”, articulated the judge.
