In an era where India’s Constitution is fiercely debated, The Supreme Codex: A Citizen’s Anxieties and Aspirations on the Indian Constitution—a collection of 60 incisive articles by Faisal C.K.—offers a timely and refreshing exploration of constitutional principles. Framed through a progressive lens, the book underscores the Constitution’s role as a shield against state overreach, likening it to a “protective shell” for citizens—a tortoise facing the “leviathan of the state.” The author’s “living tree” approach to interpretation reminds us that constitutional rights must evolve to safeguard democracy from tyranny.
Championing LGBTQ+ Rights and Gender Justice
A recurring theme in The Supreme Codex is the urgent need to protect LGBTQ+ rights. The author dismantles archaic notions of gender, arguing that between “Adam and Eve, there are many fluid identities.”
He condemns discrimination in employment, healthcare, and personal rights as violations of dignity and equality. The tragic case of Prof. Ramachandra Siras, hounded for consensual same-sex relations, exemplifies the need for posthumous pardons for victims of outdated laws.The author brands “conversion therapy” as barbaric, a futile attempt to defy nature. While acknowledging that equality remains “pie in the sky” for India’s queer community, he remains hopeful about same-sex marriage, envisioning a day when “Apollo can tie the knot with Hyacinth” in India.
Faisal advocates a clear separation of law from morality, critiquing India’s obsession with moral policing. He humanizes commercial sex workers, describing their “painful lives” with empathy, and argues for decriminalization to ensure dignity. His support for criminalizing marital rape is particularly compelling. He frames it as a violation of sexual autonomy, exposing how patriarchal norms reduce marriage to institutionalized coercion rather than consensual love.
Abolishing Archaic Laws
Faisal, a civil servant and public intellectual, calls for scrapping colonial-era laws that stifle democracy. He labels sedition a “living fossil,” a draconian tool that chills free speech—the lifeblood of democracy. Similarly, contempt of court is a “dinosaur,” often weaponized to silence truth while falsehoods escape as mere “perjury.” Judges, he argues, should respond to criticism with “silence and duty,” not legal intimidation.On the death penalty, Faisal makes a moral and pragmatic case for abolition. He dismisses blasphemy laws as antiquated, quoting the Latin maxim: Let the gods defend their own honor.
Uniform Civil Code, Federalism, and the Battle Over Secularism
While Faisal opposes patriarchy and majoritarianism, his stance on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) draws nuanced criticism. The review notes his failure to explicitly guard against a UCC steeped in majoritarian Hindu values, which could undermine religious pluralism.
He also critiques “caste-based” parties pejoratively, overlooking their role in social justice movements. His call to remove “socialist” from the Constitution’s Preamble ignores the enduring relevance of economic equity—a goal Prof. K.T. Shah (an unsung Constituent Assembly hero) fought to enshrine.
In federalism debates, Faisal warns against “one nation, one election”, arguing it erodes India’s pluralistic democracy. He defends linguistic diversity, resisting Hindi imposition, and invokes Ambedkar’s critique of caste hierarchy in response to the Kerala High Court’s sanctification of caste-based priesthood.
Confronting Majoritarian Injustice
The author unflinchingly condemns hate speech, cow vigilantism, lynchings, and bulldozer justice as tools of oppression incompatible with a civilized society. His essays serve as a rallying cry to strengthen the Republic’s “immune system” against the virus of totalitarianism.
Faisal’s prose is lucid, jargon-free, and richly layered with global constitutional insights, mythology, and literature. His metaphors—comparing Indian federalism to the “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” or calling the Constitution “Buddha’s revolution”—make complex ideas accessible. He peppers his arguments with quotes from philosophers and jurists, blending scholarly depth with engaging storytelling.
The Supreme Codex is more than a book—it’s a manifesto for democratic renewal. Faisal articulates the anxieties and aspirations of citizens, urging them to uphold the “crown jewels” of liberty, equality, and fraternity. In a nation torn between governing by the Constitution or the Manusmriti, neutrality is not an option. Through his rigorous, compassionate, and provocative writing, Faisal C.K. emerges as a vital voice for justice, freedom, and inclusive democracy.