Clifton,NJ USA, October 21, 2024 : Dr. Gholam Mujtaba, Chairman of Pakistan Policy Institute USA, in a press statement said: “It seems that somewhere along the way, the human conscience was auctioned off for the highest bid in the lurch of power and money—sold like an old piece of furniture, while the public stood by, sipping their tea, too busy to notice. Meanwhile, the judiciary, ever the loyal butler, has become a footman to the executive’s whims, fetching whatever verdicts they fancy. Now we sit, twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the world to wake up and react to this circus of mockery where law and democracy are the juggling balls.
In light of this, it is essential to remind the public that the judiciary and parliament, as cornerstones of governance, are open to scrutiny from all citizens—not just law graduates or legal experts. The landmark case Bridges v. California (314 U.S. 252, 1941) from the United States Supreme Court asserted that ‘the assumption that respect for the judiciary can be won by shielding judges from published criticism wrongly appraises the character of American public opinion.’ This precedent underscores that criticism of judicial actions is a constitutional right protected under the First Amendment.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (376 U.S. 254, 1964) emphasized the importance of an ‘uninhibited, robust, and wide-open’ debate on public issues. This decision safeguarded citizens’ right to critique public officials, including parliamentarians and judges, openly.
This principle is also echoed internationally in common law jurisdictions like the United Kingdom, where citizens retain the right to scrutinize public institutions under the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Human Rights Act 1998, specifically Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Every citizen has the right and responsibility to hold public institutions accountable. Scrutinizing parliament and the judiciary is not a privilege reserved for a few but an inherent right that empowers each of us to defend democracy’s integrity.
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