There are certain fundamental socio-economic, cultural, religious and ethical principles of development which should be well woven in the core fabric of a nation. Only then can a country become great. India has practised, preserved and evolved the mechanism of achieving greatness since ancient times. Ancient Indian scriptures well describe the harmonious relationship of man with man, man with other living beings and man with the environment. In the present time of advancement and development, we may criticise some of the principles and theories in these texts. After all, change is the law of nature and, as a result of that, old knowledge is replaced with the new. Traditions change not only because of the passage of time, but also for geographical, social and religious reasons. But only those civilisations and countries reach the heights of greatness which keep on developing constructive and appropriate knowledge systems and traditions for effective and harmonious socio-economic, cultural and religious development.
Ancient Indian people had created and developed a socially harmonious, culturally enriched and religiously united economic system and these principles were refined over the ages to match contemporary needs. The foreign ruling class of pre-Independence India damaged the Indian economic, social, religious and cultural fabric but the roots of the Indian civilisation were so deep that foreign invaders could not destroy it completely. When India got its independence, it immediately started efforts to reestablish its culture. The most appropriate example of this restoration and reestablishment is the creation of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution of India is a well-planned attempt to reinstate Indian culture in the best possible manner. The fundamental rights given by the Constitution to the citizens of India are part of a major attempt to restore ancient Indian culture. Among the fundamental rights, the freedom of expression is the best means to establish social development, economic progress, logical harmony and religious equality. The freedom of speech promotes scientific, logical and metaphysical thinking and is a useful factor in establishing social harmony and equality. But it needs to be investigated whether the Indian public is using this right for constructive development or misusing it.
Analytical evaluation of the use of the right to freedom of expression by the Indian society in the last several decades reveals that this right has been appropriately used and practiced. Consequently, its use has contributed to the creative development of the country. The assessment of the last 30 to 40 years clearly reveals that voices from several unheard, neglected and poor sections of Indian society have reached the government, non-governmental organizations and other institutions. Unheard and underprivileged people have shown not only their presence and participation by exercising the right to freedom of expression, but also achieved considerable success in generating development possibilities for themselves. An appropriate example is the case of Nirbhaya. The nation heard the voice of Nirbhaya and her family and received the message that whatever happened to her was a heinous crime and an act of injustice against women. People supported the voice of Nirbhaya and forced the supreme legislative body and the Parliament to deliver justice to women. Other suppressed sections of society have also raised their voices time and again, which had been impossible in the past, and it has reached the right ears and resulted in their growth, development and participation, and further, led to the economic and social development of the country. So, the right to freedom of expression has contributed constructively to the development of the country. However, it is also pertinent to mention here that this right is also used for harming others and for petty self-interests by engaging in unnecessary debate, accusations and counter-accusations.
The very first requirement for the use of the freedom of expression is that the user of this right should be restrained, disciplined and self-controlled. He should check whether there is a need to express or not. If expression is the utmost desired, only then one should express. It should be important to think seriously about when to speak and how much to say. The speaker has to take care that in certain situations he has to not speak at all, specifically when the expression is going against the interests of society and the country. In the past, the right of free expression in India has been misused many times by individuals and communities to exploit and harm other persons and sections of society, particularly by political parties to serve their political interests. Consequently, the nation has suffered various kinds of losses, spoiling the social, religious, political and economic environment of the country.
The current farmers’ agitation can help in the critical analysis of the use and misuse of the right to freedom of expression. Different stakeholders like the farmers, farmer unions, unorganized farmer›s groups, media persons and political groups are participating directly or indirectly in the agitation for their interests. An analysis of the type of language used by such participants for the expression of their thoughts clearly reveals that a majority of them are deliberately misusing their right. The parties involved in the agitation are misusing the right not only to support their interests, but to blame, demoralize and hurt their opposition.
Here it becomes necessary to describe the misuse of the right to freedom of expression. Misuse of this right can be understood as the use of indecent language, hostile expression and involvement in unnecessary debate by people for attaining their personal interests without giving attention to what is right and wrong. The job of the media, considered the fourth pillar of democracy, is to express responsibly and to provide an opportunity for expression to others. But it has been observed that prior to publishing or presenting news in print or electronic media, press reporters and media persons do not edit indecent or hostile language and other inappropriate expressions for the sake of increasing their TRPs and profits or to serve their political or other affiliations. This has become a common phenomenon particularly in the telecast/broadcast of electronic media.
The height of the misuse of the right to freedom of expression is when press reporters instigate people to misuse their freedom of expression for cheap publicity. This is attained at the cost of disrespecting people, communities, governance and the society at large. The limits of the freedom of expression are also breached whenever the press invites a person as a representative of the public or the government who has neither the knowledge of the subject at hand nor the basic etiquette of exercising the freedom of expression. Such a respondent usually does not have much to say and strongly emphasizes his personal point of view, often to condemn or undermine the point of view of the opponent. Such press interviews are an open and deliberate misuse of the right to freedom of expression, and disrespect people and groups or communities.
All sections of society are respectable and important parts of the country. So, before speaking against anyone in the media, people should observe certain necessary manners and have knowledge of the issue at hand. No person, class or community can be bigger than the nation itself. For the holistic development of the country, each of its sections needs to be respected and also held responsible for the protection of the interests of all. Members of the military happily sacrifice their lives for the cause of the nation, professionals from the medical, paramedical and other necessary services sectors protected many lives during the pandemic, farmers provide food to all and fulfil one of the most basic needs of human beings—people from all sections of society contribute significantly to the nation and no class or community is above the country.
India is a democratic country where everyone has the right to equality and, in case of injustice or discrimination, people have the right to raise their voices and protest. But as per the Indian Supreme Court and the Constitution, people should not affect the wellbeing of other sections of society and the nation while protesting for the protection of one›s community or personal interests. The government should also come forward immediately to address the problems of agitating groups as long-running mass agitations may be detrimental for all. But agitating groups should also think about the fact that every person, family, community and even the government has limited resources and considering their interests to be paramount, without worrying about the socio-economic situation, will only enhance the pressure on the nation›s systems, which will ultimately be borne by common citizens. So, it is important that we consider our nation as paramount and take care of ourselves and others by displaying appropriate expressions and making our contribution in its development.
The writer is Dean, Humanities and Applied Sciences, Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Palwal.