Democracy Needs Balance, Not Confrontation, Says Shah

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the strength of democracy lies in institutional balance and mutual respect rather than confrontation.

Speaking at the launch of two books by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta — “The Bench, the Bar and the Bizarre” and “The Lawful and the Awful” — Shah said the Constitution and judiciary have played a key role in strengthening democracy in India.

“Since 1947, changes brought by Parliament and the Assemblies have been accepted without shedding a drop of blood, which shows how deeply rooted democracy is in our country. Courts and the Constitution have a big role to play in achieving this,” he said.

He said citizens have faith in the Constitution and the justice system. “If there is an assault on rights, the doors of justice are open, and if anywhere the voice of a weak person is suppressed, the courts will surely hear those voices,” he said.

Shah said the executive and judiciary must address gaps through a time-bound approach. “The beauty of our democracy is that the Constitution has created institutions not for confrontation but to balance one another. The executive takes decisions and the judiciary conducts its judicial review,” he said.

He added, “The strength of democracy comes not from confrontation, but from institutional balance and mutual respect.”

Referring to India’s democratic journey, Shah said constitutional proprieties have largely been maintained over 76 years.

On the books, he said they reflect the author’s understanding of legal issues and examine the interface between law and technology, including the impact of artificial intelligence on the judicial system.