Mohan Gopal highlights judiciary’s role in democratic decline

Former NJA director Mohan Gopal warns of Indian judiciary undermining democracy, sparking concerns about democratic decline.

Mohan Gopal, former director of National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, has expressed concerns over the Indian judiciary’s growing trend of interpreting the Constitution in a way that undermines the country’s democratic values.

Delivering the Kalladi Cheriya Kunhammed Sahib memorial lecture on the second day of the ninth international conference of the Kerala History Congress held at MES Kalladi College, Mannarkkad, on Saturday, Prof. Gopal said that India’s democratic system regressed from a representative democracy to a “chosen dictatorship,” sparking concerns about the country’s democratic decline.

Prof. Gopal’s lecture highlighted the dangers of a democratic system being manipulated to serve the interests of those in power. When democracy is reduced to a “chosen dictatorship,” the very fabric of the Constitution is threatened, he said.

K.S. Madhavan, history professor at Calicut University, presided over the session.

A.R. Venkatachalapathy, professor from Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, delivered the M.P. Narayana Menon – Kattilassery Mohammed Musliar memorial lecture. N. Gopakumaran Nair, former secretary of the Kerala History Congress, presided over the session.

Historian Kesavan Veluthat delivered a lecture on ‘temple festival as carnival: an early modern Sanskrit play on Kodungallur talappoli.’ Vinod Navath, head of History department at Brennen College, Thalassery, presided.

Historians such as Husain Randathani, M.P. Mujeeb Rahman, P.K. Yasar Arafat, Ameen M. Perumannil Siddique, and Mohammed Salih spoke at an international colloquium on Malabar and Indian Ocean. Abhilash Malayil presided.