New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Former Supreme Court judge Hemant Gupta on Friday urged people to trust institutions, saying that those dissatisfied with the government should seek to defeat it through elections rather than question the system after electoral losses.
Speaking to IANS, Gupta said, “My point would be that you should trust institutions. You may have issues with the governments, elections will come, and you can defeat them then. It is simple. But when you fail to win, claiming that only what you say on the streets is correct is wrong. That is not how a system works.”
He pointed out that opposition parties had formed governments in some places through the same electoral system, while other parties had done so elsewhere.
Recalling the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Gupta said the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, had claimed that the Congress had defeated the BJP.
However, he questioned the assertion, noting that Congress had won 99 seats and failed to secure a majority.
“That statement was misleading back then, and today the rhetoric is even more misleading,” he said.
Gupta also emphasised that the tenure of an Election Commissioner was protected by law, similar to that of a judge, and that they could not be removed arbitrarily.
“An Election Commissioner's tenure is as secure as that of a judge; they can only be removed through impeachment, not arbitrarily. Anyone can demand a resignation, but some individuals use extremely offensive language,” he said.
Objecting to what he described as disrespectful language against Election Commissioners, Gupta said they deserved to be addressed appropriately.
“The Commissioners are old enough, the same age as one's father or grandfather. Referring to someone disrespectfully as ‘Gyanu’ is unacceptable. Would anyone address their own father in such a manner? Even if one chooses not to use honorifics like ‘Shri’ or ‘Ji’, they should at least address them properly by name,” he told IANS.
Reacting to a letter written by 42 former judges in support of the Election Commission, Gupta said a lack of trust in institutions could undermine public confidence in the country's system.
“If we don't trust institutions, the nation's trust collapses. We approach the court with every grievance, and Members of Parliament raise issues in Parliament. If you start disbelieving every institution, where will the system go? This is a manufactured distrust created to serve political ends,” he said.
Gupta also commented on the recent demonstrations and media coverage surrounding the Election Commission, saying that the developments had prompted responses from different sides.
“Over the last two or three days, there has been a lot of movement, demonstrations and a public narrative in the media. A counter-version had to come,” he said.
Referring to a report in the leading Indian daily about alleged internal differences or the non-approval of certain Special Intensive Revision (SIR) resolutions, Gupta said an explanation had also emerged that all decisions were unanimous.
“During discussions, different views naturally emerge, just like in court, before a unanimous opinion is reached,” he told IANS.
--IANS
