Trumpet Basics

Dissent and free speech are incontestable rights in a democracy, yet both can become endangered. In the K.C. Dhulia Memorial Lecture, the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, said that a democracy without dissenters cannot progress. Dissent is born of an atmosphere of fierce debate. Many would be reminded that neither dissent nor debate is common now. Although democracy turns on majority rule, the CJI pointed out that so do many other kinds of government. Once again, some would be reminded of the dangers of such governments. The ‘beauty’ of democracy lies in the moral status enjoyed by its citizens because of its accommodation of various opinions. The majority would have its way, but the numerical or social minority would have the State on its side, precisely because it was weaker. The democratic State existed through constant dialogue with different points of view, including dissent. That was participative democracy, the only way for citizens to feel free.