Alok Singh
On 1st September, 2025, while speaking at the KM Bashir Memorial Lecture hosted by the Press Club of Ernakulam on “Fraternity in a Secular State: The Protection of Cultural Rights and Duties”, former Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton F. Nariman stressed that constitutional principles must be internalised rather than treated as abstractions. He remarked that: “If you don’t actually feel constitutional values, they amount to nothing”.
During the interaction, a participant pointed to his landmark ruling that struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, a provision long criticised for stifling free expression. The attendee contrasted that judgment with the recent controversy over the arrest of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad for a social media post on Operation Sindoor, questioning whether the judgment’s intent was being fulfilled.
Justice Nariman, while taking the concern seriously, offered a humorous response: “The only solution is to put me back on the bench. And I say that quite sincerely, bring me back.” The exchange, both reflective and light-hearted, highlighted how enduring questions about free speech and judicial enforcement remain at the centre of India’s constitutional discourse.
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