VIJAYAWADA: Justice is equal for people of all religions, caste, creed and it is the responsibility of lawyers to protect citizens’ fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution of India, said All India Lawyers Union (AILU) national president Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya at the 11th State level meeting of the lawyers’ body on Saturday.
Addressing the gathering, he said, “This is a conference of lawyers who aim to provide justice to the common man. India is a land of unity in diversity, where people of different backgrounds fought for freedom from British rule and framed the Constitution of India. Freedom of thought and freedom of speech were the fundamental concepts of the Indian struggle for independence.”
The AILU president said judiciary has an important role to play and should be impartial. “In our country, people’s rights were trampled upon during the Emergency. Even today, the situation is the same. The Supreme Court is treading the path of caution even as the right to speech is being denied in the country, as is evident in Kashmir.
The judiciary must discharge its duties properly in such a situation and protect the fundamental rights of people,” he added. Bikash Ranjan questioned how the suspension of rights of people for more than two months was justified. “At a time when farmers across the country are committing suicide, the judiciary is ignoring the issue as if no such incidents were occurring. The judiciary should learn to rise above religious prejudices as India is not a Hindu nation. It is a secular country, where everyone has the right to self-respect. It’s unfortunate some High Court lawyers are spewing venom in the name of Hindutva.”
Renowned human rights activist professor G Haragopal said, “Our country needs such a judiciary which takes care of people’s interests and protects their fundamental rights. At present, everyone is worried that the Constitution will cease to exist and the Central government may bring some new regulations that could prove detrimental to society.”
In case of a clash between citizens and the State, it would be the latter which would invariably emerge victorious due to vast resources at its disposal, Haragopal said.
“It is the responsibility of the judiciary to come to the aid of citizens fighting the State on unequal ground. However, what worries me is that blackmailing tactics are being used to arm-twist judiciary. Judges are being blackmailed into passing unfair judgements,” he concluded. Former MLC Prof K Nageswar and lawyers from various States participated in the meeting.