India is a democracy as guaranteed by the country’s Constitution, which is the basic law of the landand is the supreme source of all powers. As, the Preamble of the Indian Constitution explicitly says that it is WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA which HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY on 26th November 1949. It is, in fact, the democracy wherein the people at large have the final say in all matters of governance. Hence, WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA have the every right to know each and every thing pertaining to the affairs of the state, including politics, Bollywood, drug-cartels, criminal-syndicates, police, underworld and their foreign funding to destabilize the country.
To strengthen democracy in the country, the Right to Information Act, 2005 has been framed by the Indian Parliament to justify the rationale in support of the popular awareness about the governance with a view to ensure constitutionalism, meaning thereby that each organ of the government runs strictly according to the provisions of the Constitution and that never exceeds its limits as set out therein. All these are meant for making the country’s democracy truly meaningful and also consolidating Rule of Law, which stands for equality before law, equal protection of law and easy and inexpensive availability of law for immediate redressal of grievances of all. Thus constitutionalism and the Right to Information do help-contribute the spirit of the democracy in true sense of the term.
As evident, the Role of Press assumes crucial significance in this context which, indeed, lets the common man know as to what exactly is happening in the country or world. It is by the enlightened awareness about governance, that the masses can take right decisions in their interest as well as that of the society and the country. As the Latin phrase goes, Vox populi, Vox Deiie voice of people is the voice of God; therefore it is the collective will of all people which is supreme in a country. Hence it can neither be ignored nor trampled in anyway by anyone, howsoever high or mighty one may be. That Arnab Goswami was doing exactly the same is the fact that nobody can question. Although he might have occasionally become noisy in his programme or his raising of relevant questions directly to the government and other political leaders and higher-ups in civil and police administration might have been embarrassing to all of them, but that was his duty as a journalist and certainly not a crime.
Nonetheless one must not forget that ultimately Truth prevails, despite all obstructions, repressions or suppressions, ie satyamev jayate nanritam. And that has been vindicated again today by the order of the Supreme Court on 11-11-2020, granting Mr. Arnab Goswami bail for his immediate release from the Taloja jail. Obviously it underscores that the Supreme Court stands as a supreme custodian for the Rule of Law and the protection of Human Rights of all citizens in the country, thereby upholding once again the sanctity of the Indian Constitution and the spirit of democracy.
(The views expressed in this article are author’s personal.)
Sudhanshu Tripathi is Professor, Political Science in UPRTOU, Prayagraj (UP). His books India’s Foreign Policy: Dilemma over Non Alignment 2.0 (2020), NAM and India (2012) and co-authored Rajnitik Avadharnayein (2001) have been published, besides numerous articles & research papers. He was President of the Teacher’s Association in MDPG College, Pratapgarh(UP) during 2013–2017. He is with the Editorial Advisory Board of the Third Concept Journal.
File Image – courtesy - Arnab Goswami – FB Page and Free Press Journal