When we think of the Indian Constitution, we think of the glorious chapter on fundamental rights which guarantees paramount civil liberties such as freedom of speech. But there is also a tension, because freedom of speech is compelled to co-exist with laws such as sedition - contained in Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In 2021, numerous individuals petitioned the Supreme Court to take sedition off the law books.
But, what is sedition? What is its provenance? How was sedition used in colonial India against nationalist leaders? Is there any constitutional justification for its continuance?
In A Constitution to Keep, Rohan Alva answers these timely and relevant questions which every Indian should be asking. The book also makes a case for why political speech must be constitutionally protected and how the Supreme Court can do this while ensuring the purity of political discourse.
Rohan J. Alva
Rohan J. Alva is a counsel practicing in the Supreme Court of India. He earned his LLM from Harvard Law School, where he focused on constitutional law, which he read for on numerous scholarships including as a Tata Scholar and on a Harvard Law School Scholarship. He holds a BA in History from Loyola College, University of Madras, and an LLB from Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, where he was editor of the Delhi Law Review. Before joining Harvard, he worked as a pro bonocounsel for children. His writings have been published in internationally respected journals including Statute Law Review (Oxford University Press), and Hong Kong Law Journal.
Prior to starting his counsel practice, he was a professor at Jindal Global Law School, where he was awarded the Excellence in Research Award. He has also been Visiting Faculty at NLSIU, Bengaluru. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the violin. He lives in New Delhi with his wife Nina, also a graduate of Harvard Law School and a counsel, two children, Zarina and Cyrus, and two dogs, Jerry and Jackie.
Rohan J. Alva
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS INDIA