THANJAVUR:Former Union Minister and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani said on Saturday that democracy is in danger today just like it was in 1975 (the year Emergency was imposed).
Delivering the 12th Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture organised by the School of Law, Sastra University, Jethmalani said,”More and more vicious laws are being enacted in the name of sustaining the rule of law. But the real purpose is to take away human rights and prevent exposure of the corrupt”.
He called upon young lawyers to be the defenders of democracy and recalled his legal battle against the imposition of Emergency by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He said while nine High Courts across the country upheld the liberty, Indira filed an appeal against the rulings of the nine High Courts. “In a disastrous, scandalous 4-1 majority judgment, the Supreme Court set aside the verdicts of the nine High Courts. The free world should erect a monument to the dissenting judge (H R Khanna),” he added.
Jethmalani said dark ages existed even today. He emphasised the role of the lawyers to put an end to the dark ages. He said politicians of the country could not put an end to the dark ages as they were the reason for it.