From the depiction of a courtroom drama on stage, a satire on the judicial system, to works that seriously question the institution of the law, the area of interaction between law and literature is quite vast.
Exploring this vast expanse with examples from both ancient and modern works, Justice A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and former Chairman of the Law Commission, spoke on Saturday about the many ways in which these two areas interact.
“Law could be the subject matter of literature… or literature itself might be, have been or may become law,” Justice Shah said, delivering the second The Hindu Lit for Life Annual Lecture here.
In some countries, law is regarded as part of culture, he said. In the area of interpretation, law could borrow from literature tools that are used to analyse texts. For instance, meaning is not necessarily found in the author’s intention or mind but in the text itself.
The ethical discourse that informs the law can be gleaned from the moral lessons depicted in literature, Justice Shah said.
While quoting from jurists and judges to give a flavour of their literary stature, Justice Shah also made some references to contemporary issues. He warned that suppression of dissent could lead to the elimination of dissenters, and cited the examples of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi, and more recently, Gauri Lankesh. “Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters,” he said.
Earlier, N. Ravi, Director, The Hindu Group of Publications (THG), introduced Justice Shah as a “pre-eminent jurist whose pronouncements have been characterised as much by humaneness as by erudition.”
Nirmala Lakshman, Director, THG, said The Hindu Lit for Life Lecture was aimed at exploring and engaging with critical issues of the day.
