Being Tolerant Doesn't Mean Tolerate Hate Speech: Justice DY Chandrachud

Justice DY Chandrachud asked law graduates to be guided by "own conscience and equitable reason"

Gandhinagar:

Being accepting and tolerant of others' opinions does not mean one should also accept hate speech, Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud said here on Saturday. In his convocation address at Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) here, he urged the graduating students to be guided by their "own conscience and equitable reason".

In the world of social media "with limited attention span," it helps to remember that "a lot of work we do will only have long-term impact and we should not be worried about the everyday distraction," he said in the speech, delivered through video link.

"The words famously attributed to Voltaire, 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it,' must be incorporated into our being. Making mistakes, being accepting and tolerant to the opinions of others by no means translates to blind conformity, and it does not mean not standing up against hate speech," the judge said.

As the students step into the outer world amid "the increasing noise and confusion of political, social and moral clashes of majority," they must be guided by the path of their "own conscience and equitable reasons," he said at the 11th convocation of the GNLU.

He also quoted writer Seth Godin's analogy of the current and the wind.

"On the river, it is the current that will move the canoe far more than the wind will. But the wind distracts us...The current is our persistent systems of class and race and gender, and powerful industry economy. And if I may add, in our context, caste as well," Justice Chandrachud said, quoting the author.

The current can be overcome, but it takes "focussed effort," the judge said.

"On the other hand, the wind is the breaking news of the moment, the latest social media sensation. And the thin layer of hype that surrounds us. It might be a useful distraction, but our real work lies in overcoming the current or changing it," he added.

"It helps to see it first and to ignore the wind where we can. This quotation is especially relevant to remember in today's world with polarising opinions and conflicting actions," the judge added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Adblock test (Why?)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/nKEofAX https://ift.tt/PdjwUMb
via IFTTT

Comments

US Defense Chief Austin To Make 'Full Recovery' From Cancer: Doctors

Austin, a 70-year-old career soldier, initially underwent minor surgery to treat cancer on December 22. Washington: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is likely to make a "full recovery" from prostate cancer and his prognosis is "excellent," two doctors said after he was seen at Walter Reed hospital for a follow-up appointment. Austin controversially kept US President Joe Biden in the dark about the cancer diagnosis for weeks, and did not inform either the commander-in-chief or Congress until days after he was hospitalized on January 1 for complications from his treatment. "Secretary Austin was seen today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a scheduled post-prostatectomy surveillance appointment," the doctors said in a statement released by the Pentagon. "He continues to recover well and is expected to make a full recovery. Secretary Austin's prostate cancer was treated early and effectively, and his prognosis is excellent,...

North Korea Says It Tested New Strategic Cruise Missile

North Korea test-fired a new generation of strategic cruise missile on Wednesday. (Representational) Seoul: North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state. Hours later, North Korea appeared to confirm the firing, saying it had carried out its first test of a new generation of strategic cruise missiles it is developing, the Pulhwasal-3-31. Pyongyang has accelerated weapons testing in the new year, including tests of what it called an "underwater nuclear weapon system" and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile. "Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea towards the Yellow Sea at around 7:00 am today," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Unlike their ballistic counterparts, the testing of cruise missiles is not banned under current UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Cruise...

US "Deplores" Israeli Attack On UN Training Center In Gaza

More than 25,000 people have been killed in Gaza since war began against Hamas. Washington: The United States was concerned by an Israeli attack on a U.N. training center sheltering displaced people in Gaza's Khan Younis on Wednesday, Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said, repeating Washington's calls for protection of civilians, humanitarian workers and aid facilities. "We deplore today's attack on the U.N.'s Khan Younis training center," Patel told a news briefing, calling it "incredibly concerning." The Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza said that nine Palestinians were killed and 75 were injured when two tank rounds hit the building that was sheltering around 800 people in the southern Gaza Strip. "Civilians must be protected, and the protected nature of UN facilities must be respected, and humanitarian workers must be protected so that they can continue providing civilians with the life-saving humanitarian assistance...

டெக் மந்த்ரா

Search This Blog