I was glad to read that eminent senior legal personalities Soli Sorabjee, Navroz Seervai, Aspi Chinoy and Sarosh Zaiwalla have opined on the Prashant Bhushan (pictured) contempt of court case ("Resisting the ‘iron hand,’” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, August 21-September 6, 2020).
I met Bhushan, a public interest lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and crusader against corruption in public life, both in Chicago and Palo Alto to discuss building democracy in India. We have also had interesting discussions on the current law and order situation, freedom of speech and authoritarian trends in India today. We were delighted to have him as a keynote speaker on International Democracy Day, September 15, 2020 in Hyderabad for which I had made the arrangements. We believe the most important participant in a democracy is not the policeman or the politician but the citizen.
It is also a pleasure to work with Bhushan’s sister, Shalini Gupta in Chicago, along with Coalitions at United for Peace promoting non-violence, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King. I am not surprised that Bhushan quoted Gandhi’s statement in response to the contempt of court charges against him. This is a fundamental characteristic in the DNA of his family.
PORUS DADABHOY
Chicago, Illinois, USA
porusdad@gmail.com