With few days left to welcome year 2019, I want to take the time to appreciate the Indian judiciary for making 2018 a landmark year with its bold and powerful verdicts.
India is the largest democracy in the world and we all know this – but do we really know what exactly is a democratic nation is supposed to be like? I have often heard people saying that our right to vote in the elections makes a country democratic, but this is half truth. A true democracy is one which not only guarantees its citizens rights and freedom through a constitution, but the same is reflected in its truest sense as the ground reality as well.
Equality among people is one of the most important aspect of a true democracy. Equality is said to be the sole liberty. There is, in fact, no liberty or freedom without equality.
With some of the revolutionary judgements of the Supreme court in 2018, I sincerely believe that India has taken a step further towards liberty by way of broadening the horizon of equality.
Some of the major highlights of SC’s verdicts we had this year are as follows:
Partial scrapping of section 377 providing equal treatment to the LGBTQ+ community. Consensual sex with the member of the same sex is no more a crime. Secondly, with the SC’s decision to abolish the law of adultery, the judicial system in our country have proved that husbands are not ‘masters of their wives’ and that both are equal in the eyes of the law. The third major judgement was the opening of the Sabarimala temple gates for the women from all age groups, thus, shutting down all the stereotypical voices that said that menstruating women and girls cannot go to the temple. Another major decision of the SC was a step towards bringing transparency by allowing live streaming of its proceedings to the public.
All these decisions, though some have been encountered opposing views, have definitely created a wave which will take India a step closer to being a democracy in its truest sense, and I hope to see more such positive initiatives in the years ahead.