CIVIL LIBERTY AND ITS ROLE TO BRING PEACE AND HARMONY

Civil liberty implies the Fundamental Rights such that all Indians can lead their lives in peace as
citizens of India. The six fundamental rights are right to equality, right to freedom, right
against exploitation, right to freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights and right
to constitutional remedies.

 Violations of the rights result in punishments as prescribed in the Indian Penal Code.They
have been aimed at overturning the inequalities of pre-independence social practices.
Specifically, they resulted in abolishment of un-touchability and prohibit
discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. They
forbid human trafficking and unfree labor. They protect cultural and educational
rights of ethnic and religious minorities by allowing them to preserve their languages and
administer their own educational institutions.
 All people, have the right to approach the High Courts or the Supreme Court for the
enforcement of their fundamental rights. It is not necessary that the aggrieved party has to
be the one to do so. In public interest, anyone can initiate litigation in the court on their
behalf. This is known as “Public interest litigation”.
 The Fundamental Rights emphasize equality by guaranteeing to all citizens the access
and use of public institutions and protections, irrespective of their background. The rights
to life and personal liberty apply for persons of any nationality, while others, such as the
freedom of speech and expression are applicable only to the citizens of India (including
non-resident Indian citizens).
 . Fundamental Rights are not absolute and are subject to reasonable restrictions as
necessary for the protection of national interest.The Fundamental Rights can only be
altered by a constitutional amendment. The President can, by order, suspend the
constitutional written remedies as well.

The government cannot protect us. Under the best scenario, law enforcement, intelligence
and the military might stop 99.9 percent of terrorist attacks. Even in prisons where civil
liberties don’t exist, desperate, evil men find ways to cause harm. Putting the whole
country under lockdown is not going to be any more effective.

Instead we should be looking to empower ordinary citizens to protect themselves and each
other. Restricting our civil liberties will reduce the ability of the Indian people to respond
effectively to threats. It will not be with guns.

It will involve a trade of sorts, an inducement to give up the reality of freedom for the illusion of
security. Indeed, the bargain has already been struck.

But what is most troubling is that Indians are not particularly troubled by any of it. According to
a new poll by the Pew Research Center.
According to the Statistics nearly half — 45 percent — also approve of allowing the government
to track email content and other online activity. And 62 percent feel it is more important to
investigate terrorist threats than to safeguard the right to privacy. That approval is consistent
across party lines.We are at war against terror, the thinking goes, so certain liberties must be
sacrificed.

We should know this, yet we fall for the same seductive con every time: We are afraid, but the
state says it can make us safe. And all it will take is the surrender of a few small freedoms.

It makes you want to holler in frustration, especially since the promise is so false. Yes, the state
can interdict a given terrorist plot, but even if it took every last freedom we have, it could
not guarantee complete security. That is a plain truth with which we must make peace.

It is certainly gratifying to see Indians displaying our flag with pride again. Yet the flag is
only a symbol of our nation.It is our Constitution that we should now cling to. Let’s not be
so eager to trade civil liberties for an illusion of safety.