The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Indians must be proud of their nation being the largest democracy, says former SC Judge

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Indians must be proud of their nation being the largest democracy, says former SC Judge

Staff Reporter

“People from all sections of the society tend to justify their mistakes rather than correct them”

MADURAI: When many countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar were unable to sustain democracy in their country after attaining independence, Indians should be proud of their nation, the world’s largest democracy. Shivraj V. Patil, former Judge of Supreme Court, made this point while addressing the Executive committee meeting of Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association here on Wednesday.

“Everything is not perfect in India. The living standards of the poor could be better. Yet, we should not always criticise our country,” he said. He also lauded the democratic functioning of the trade body. The laws and the Constitution must be instruments to help uplift the society. Although the public perception of traders, business class and industry might be that they were for profit, the people must not forget that the society cannot thrive without them, he said.

M. Karpaga Vinayagam, Chairperson, Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, New Delhi, and former Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court, said that while recognising one’s strengths, they must also recognise their flaws. “Abraham Lincoln’s quote — Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people — still holds true. However, only the spellings have changed. It has become — Democracy is the government off the people, buy the people, far the people,” he observed.

The newspapers were full of crime reports, of late. Change, he said, should come all the way from top in all the three pillars of democracy — Judiciary, Legislature and Executive. People from all sections of the society tend to justify their mistakes rather than correct them. Further, people also tend to praise systems of other countries which only exposed their weakness,.

Values such as character, commitment, concern, courage and compassion were needed, said Mr. Karpaga Vinayagam.

K.S.R. Natarajan, association president, and P. Subash Chandra Bose, secretary, spoke.

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