iTV Network’s ‘Legally Speaking’ recently presented the first ‘Law and Constitution Dialogue’ on the eve of Constitution Day.
The network also launched the ‘Legally Speaking’ website (legallyspeakings.com) and the mobile application. The website and app were launched by Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant as well as iTV Network promoter and Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma.
Delivering his speech at the ‘Legally Speaking’ lecture series, Justice Surya Kant stated, “Law and media are part of the same mosaic and are fundamental to a healthy society.” In his lecture, he spoke about constitutional morality as a concept and said, “Constitutional morality has been heard and invoked on several occasions in a series of important interpretations. The general idea of constitutional morality that has emerged over time is one that seeks to uphold values that are claimed to be upheld in our Constitution.”
Justice Surya Kant stated that “The first citation of this concept predates our time by nearly fifty years, when justices AN Ray and Jagan Mohan Reddy first floated the notion of constitutional morality in one of the most celebrated adjudications, the Kesavananda Bharti case.” Speaking further about the vision of our fore fathers, he added, “Undoubtedly, in the speech of Baba Sahib Ambedkar, he mentioned that part of constitutional morality is forward-looking; it seeks to transform Indian society into a state and institutions that are committed to democratic ideas and goals,” he added.
Justice Surya Kant also pointed out that “Let’s remember that time when India was emerging from colonialism and marching towards becoming a fully functional democratic state. The constitution was therefore meant to act as a stimulant to propel the country forward in its search for the appropriate balance between its many conflicting obligations. The British were concerned purely with ruling, a state which rules over its people is indifferent to their needs. Constitution morality must be responsive to the people”
As Justice Surya Kant outlined the responsibility of the media in legal reportage, he said, “The media is under a responsibility to report the truth and ensure that it adheres to the highest tenants of good faith, integrity, and propriety. The state of legal reporting itself has grown by leaps and bounds, starting from the Indian Law Reports Act, 1875, to the present date. With numerous databases and legal news websites, our ability to convey the specifics of law has remarkably improved.” He added that “the media is a way to keep track of what is happening in the Supreme Court and the lower courts.”
Kartikeya Sharma remarked in his address that ‘Legally Speaking’ was started 6-years-ago with the vision to bring the nuances of law to the people and that it has grown exponentially. Justice Surya Kant further spoke about the need for websites and reportage similar to Legally Speaking, he praised iTV Network’s efforts while stating, “‘demystification of law is the need of an hour. That is where ‘Legally Speaking’ and other similar platforms come into the picture. They are taking law to the people which is an indispensable service.” He concluded by saying, “The media has a heightened responsibility due to the power it has.”
.