Democracy best suited for diverse country like India: CJI Ramana

Underlining that democracy is best suited for a diverse country like India, CJI NV Ramana on Friday said the country's rich diversity cannot be sustained through dictatorial governance.

Delivering the 19th DP Kohli Memorial Lecture on the CBI's foundation day, Chief Justice of India Ramana said given our experience with democracy so far, it is proven beyond doubt that democracy is best suited for a pluralistic society like ours.

"Our rich diversity cannot be sustained through dictatorial governance. It is only through democracy that our rich culture, heritage, diversity, and pluralism can be sustained and strengthened," he said.

In his lecture on 'Democracy: Role and Responsibility of investigative agencies', Justice Ramana said, "We have a vested interest in strengthening democracy, because we essentially believe in democratic way of living. We Indians love our freedom. When any attempt has been made to snatch our freedom, our alert citizenry did not hesitate to seize the power back from autocrats".

So, it is essential that all institutions, including police and the investigative bodies, uphold and strengthen democratic values.

"They should not allow any authoritarian tendencies to creep in. They need to function within democratic framework as prescribed under the Constitution. Any deviation will hurt the institutions and will weaken our democracy," he said.

Justice Ramana said the police and investigative agencies may have de facto legitimacy, but yet, as institutions, they still have to gain social legitimacy.

"Police should work impartially and focus on crime prevention. They should also work in co-operation with the public to ensure law and order prevails in the society," he said.

He also called for creating an "independent umbrella institution" to bring various investigating agencies under one roof.