The Chief Justice of India says democracy is best suited to a diverse country like India
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New Delhi: NV Ramana, chief justice of India, said on Friday that a democratic government is necessary for a country like India that is so diverse.
On the foundation day of the CBI, Chief Justice Ramana presented the 19th DP Kohli Memorial Lecture. He said that our experience with democracy thus far proves that it is best suited to a pluralistic society such as ours.
"Our rich diversity cannot be sustained through dictatorial governance. It is only through democracy that our rich culture, heritage, diversity, and pluralism can be sustained and strengthened," he said that "Democracy: Role and Responsibility of investigative agencies," Justice Ramana said in his lecture that "We have a vested interest in strengthening democracy because we essentially believe in the democratic way of living. We Indians love our freedom. When any attempt has been made to snatch our freedom, our alert citizenry did not hesitate to seize the power back from autocrats".
In order to strengthen democracy, all institutions, including police and investigative bodies, need to uphold democratic values.
"They should not allow any authoritarian tendencies to creep in. They need to function within the democratic framework as prescribed under the Constitution. Any deviation will hurt the institutions and will weaken our democracy," he added.
Despite their de facto legitimacy, Ramana says police and investigative agencies need to gain social legitimacy.
"Police should work impartially and focus on crime prevention. They should also work in co-operation with the public to ensure law and order prevails in the society," he said.
Moreover, he called for creating an "independent umbrella institution" to integrate multiple investigating agencies.
