Speaking truth to power a citizen's right & duty- Justice Chandrachud

Supreme Court judge , justice DY Chandrachud has said intellectuals have "a duty to expose the lies of the State.  In a democratic country it is important to hold governments in check and guard against falsehoods, false narratives and fake news, he said. Delivering the 6th Chief Justice MC Chagla Memorial Lecture, Justice Chandrachud on Saturday, also cautioned against an over-reliance on the government to provide social, political, economic, cultural and, in the current context, medical truths. He also highlighted the importance of a "press that is free from influence of any kind... political or economic" to ensure that governments can truly be held to account for actions and policies.

Justice Chandrachud said that the phenomenon of fake news is on the rise. The WHO recognized this during the COVID pandemic... calling it 'infodemic'. Human beings have a tendency to get attracted to sensational news... which are often based on falsehoods. Justice Chandrachud acknowledged that social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook should be held responsible for false content, but said people should be vigilant and, crucially, be open to reading about, debating and, perhaps, even accepting different opinions. To counter fake news we need to strengthen our public institutions. We must ensure that we have a press that is free from influence of any kind... political or economic. We need a press that will provide us information in an unbiased manner, he added.