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JNUrow:EklacholoreTheIndianExpress

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JNUrow:Eklacholore
WrittenbyMarthaC.Nussbaum|Updated:March8,20167:32am

NUSUPresidentKanhaiyaKumarattheJNUcampusinNewDelhi.(PTIPhoto)

Indiasdemocracywasbornoutofnonviolentseditiousspeech.AsGandhiledtheprotestersintheGreatSaltMarchof1930,they
sang,athisurging,hisfavouritesong:RabindranathTagoresEklaCholoRe,asonginpraiseofdissentingspeech.Ifnoone
saysathing,ohyouunluckysoul,/Iffacesareturnedaway,ifallgoonfearing/Thenopeningupyourheart,/Youspeakwhats
onyourmind,speakupalone.Theparadoxofamassofpeoplesinginganodetosolitarydissentisreallynoparadox,since
dissentingspeechisprotectedinademocracyonlywhenpeoplelovethefreedomofspeechandaffirmit,bothintheirheartsand
throughtheirlegalarrangements.Indiasfoundingwassuchanaffirmation.
Thefreedomofspeechneverhasaneasyroadinanydemocracy,andithasnothadoneinIndia.Throughoutthenationshistory,
partiesacrossthepoliticalspectrumhavetriedtosuppressallegedlydangerousspeechwithavarietyoflawsagainstseditionand
religiousoffence.TherecenteventsatJNUshowthatdissenthasdangerouslylostground.Despitewidespreadprotestofthe
governmentsactionsinarrestingthedissentingstudents,notablefigures,notjustontheright,havespokeninfavourofdrawing
somelineandtermingsomespeechtoodangeroustopermit.NolessaliberalthanRamachandraGuhadescribeswhatwassaid
atJNUasaprovocationwhereperhapsthefreedomofspeechlimithasbeencrossedeventhoughhequicklycriticisedthe
arrests,andeventhoughnobodyshouldclaimtohaveanaccurateideaofwhatwassaid,giventheevidencethatrecordingshave
beendoctored.
MuchhasbeenwrittenaboutIndiasvacillationbetweenTagorean/Gandhianprotectionforspeechandfearfulsupportfor
legislationagainstspeech.Itseemsuseful,atthispoint,togainsomehistoricaldistance,lookingatacasefarawayinplaceand
time.
In1918,towardstheendofWorldWarI,theUSCongresspassedtheSeditionAct,whichsetharshcriminalpenaltiesforanyone
whousesdisloyal,profane,scurrilous,orabusivelanguageabouttheUSgovernment,flagorwareffort.EugeneDebs,famous
labourleaderandfivetimeSocialistPartycandidateforpresident,wasconvictedofviolatingasimilarearlierlawbyspeakingup
withstrongdenunciationofthewar,whichhesaidwasabosseswarandinjurioustotheworkingclasses.Debsdidnotphysically
obstructmilitaryrecruitmentorregistration,buttheprosecutorsreasonedthathisspeechwasaformofobstructionandassuch
violatedtheact.Debswenttojail,wherehesooncontractedtuberculosis,fromwhichhediedseveralyearslater(afterhissentence
wascommutedin1920).Meanwhile,however,thecasechangedthefaceoffreespeechlaw.
TheUSSupremeCourtupheldDebssconviction,butadissentingintellectual,andaforeigneratthat,spokeupalone.Ernst
Freund,aGermanJewishprofessorofpoliticalscienceandlaw,andthechiefarchitectoftheUniversityofChicagoLawSchool,
hadlongbeenatroublemaker.Hewroteextensivelyaboutabusesofpolicepowerandopposedthemassdeportationsof
immigrantsthathadbeenproposed(thenasnow!).Heinsistedthatalawschoolshouldbenotaplacewhereyounglawyerslearn
traditionaldoctrinebut,instead,aplacewheretheylearntothinkcritically,challengingthesocialorder:Thusphilosophy,economics
andsociologywouldbepartoftheirlegaleducation.And,in1919,hespokeuponbehalfofDebs.
Freundsarticle,TheDebsCaseandtheFreedomofSpeech,quicklybecameaclassic,ultimatelyleadingUSlawtoshiftground,
sothatnowitisuniversallyagreedthatevendisloyalandseditiousspeech,andevenduringwartime,isprotectedundertheFirst
Amendmentunlessthereisadirectandimminentincitementtospecificactsofviolence.Hemadethreearguments,allofwhich
areapplicabletotheJNUcase.First,howeverstronglyDebshadurgedthecaseagainstthewar,hewasnotobstructing
recruitmenthewasinfluencingpeoplebyideasalone.SotooatJNU:Whateverthestudentprotestersactuallysaid,andnomatter
howdisloyalorabusiveitwas,itwasintherealmofideasandspeech,andnobodyhasevensuggestedthattheyengagedin
violentaction.
Second,andcrucially,Freundarguedthatallseditionlawsareintheirnaturevague,andthustheyfunctionasinvitationsto
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JNUrow:EklacholoreTheIndianExpress

arbitraryandcapriciouspoliticalsuppressionofopposition.TheDebscaseshowedthatgovernmentwillusesuchlawstosuppress
apopularlabourleader,thusservingcorporateinterests.TheJNUcaseshowsthatgovernmentwillusesimilarlawstogoafternot
justideasitdoesntlikebutadistinguisheduniversitythathasbeenathorninitsside,thusservingtheinterestsoftheRSSand
othersupportersofthegovernment.ThevagueslurunIndianisnobetterthanthevagueUSslurdisloyal:Botharehandytools
tosuppresscritique.
Third,Freundarguedthatdissentisacruciallinchpinofdemocracy.Conformityandfeararedemocracyspoisondissentisa
sourceofstrengthandhealth.Thiswaswhathesaid,butalsowhathepractisedbycreatinganacademicinstitutionthatemploys
andvigorouslyprotectssubversivessuchasmeandmycolleagues,whomightencouragecounterargumentstotheunreflective
pietiesoftheday.(AndImeanpietiesofbothleftandright:Ijustfinishedteachingaclassonpublicmoralityandlegalconservatism
withmymostconservativecolleague,providingatheatreofrespectfuldifferenceandsearchingcriticalargument.)LikeJNU,and
unlikewhatthegovernmentwouldwishJNUtobecome.
TheUShasnotalwaysheededFreundswisearguments,butatleasttheyhaveshapedthelegaltradition,wherefreedomof
speechisconcerned.India,whoseembraceoffreespeechis,historically,deeperandmorefoundationalthanthatoftheUS,
shouldriseupinprotestagainsttheveryideaofpunishingseditiousspeech,seeingthetruthintheideasthatFreund,Tagoreand
Gandhiallstoodfor,intheirdifferentways.InboththeUSandIndia,dissentisalwaysfragile,andthedissenteralwaysrunsarisk.
Forthisreason,Tagoressongendswiththedissenterhavingtolightthelightofreasonbystrikingaflamefromhisownribs,and
burningalone.ButIndiasidealisbetterthanthat.Itistheidealofanationbuiltuponrespectforandloveofthesolitarydissenter,
anationofpeoplewhomarchedforfreedomsingingTagoressong.

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