Akbar's portrayal in historical literature skews towards tyranny, according to Justice Rohinton Nariman.
Justice (Retd.) Rohinton F. N. Nariman, a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, has called for citizens to take action against the distortion of history that breaches fraternity, particularly in the case of rewritten history textbooks.
Delivering the KM Bashir Memorial Lecture on 'Fraternity in a secular state' on September 1, organized by the Press Club of Trivandrum in Kerala, Justice Nariman highlighted the importance of cultural rights and duties. He was moved to address this issue after discovering a book depicting Mughal emperor Akbar as a tyrant and mass murderer, with the contributions and achievements of the Mughal dynasty largely ignored.
Justice Nariman proposed that courts could appoint a panel of experts to restore accurate history in such cases. However, he made it clear that courts could not reverse changes in history by themselves. Instead, he suggested that citizens could petition courts to address history distortion that breaches fraternity.
This principle may not apply to all fundamental duties, but could apply in cases where there is a breach of fraternity through a failure to protect India's composite culture, as outlined in Article 51A of the Constitution. The duty 'to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture' could potentially be violated by courts, but citizens can counter these violations by approaching the courts.
Justice Nariman's lecture touched upon several other topics, including secularism, judicial integrity, the common moral thread running through world religions, and the duty of citizens to uphold constitutional values. It's worth noting that earlier this year, Justice Nariman delivered a lecture advocating for the banning of loudspeakers across all religions due to public health concerns.
In the past, Justice Nariman has been vocal about his concerns over the erasure and distortion of history by the current dispensation. His recent lecture serves as a call to action for citizens to uphold the country's rich cultural heritage and ensure that history is accurately preserved and presented.
For those interested in learning more about Justice Nariman's thoughts on fraternity in a secular state, you can read more about his lecture here.
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