Constitution is perfect but our understanding, implementation isn’t: Dushyant Dave

The Constitution of India is a “perfect instrument” and India is what it is today because of the Constitution, Senior Advocates Dushyant Dave and KG Raghavan said on Tuesday as they engaged in a brief but endearing exchange while they waited to make an urgent mentioning in a petition related to the Muda scam before the Karnataka High Court.

When Dave, who appeared before a bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna through video conference, spotted Raghavan too logged in for the hearing, the Senior Counsel greeted his counterpart on Constitution Day.

Raghavan then said that the Constitution of India is a beautiful document, an almost perfect instrument and one had to keep in mind that no instrument could be perfect.

Raghavan also said that the Constitution was the “only thing that was keeping the country going.”

“We must be eternally grateful to Dr Ambedkar and his colleagues in the Constituent Assembly. But for them, we wouldn't have been where we are today. And as you'll agree sir, there's no perfect instrument,” Raghavan said.

To this, Dave said while Constitution is a perfect document, a lot depends on those who implement and this was correctly prophesied by Dr. BR Ambedkar as well.

“But it is a perfect instrument. It is our understanding and implementation that are imperfect. It is a joy to read the debates. What foresight and intellect. Their prophecy is all turning out to be true today. Dr Ambedkar very simply but profoundly said that if a landslide (election victory) were to occur, it was quite possible for the democracy to retain its form but give place to dictatorship in fact,” Dave said.

After the bench presided, Dave mentioned a petition filed by activist Snehmayi Krishna seeking a CBI probe into the MUDA scam. He said that his client, one Devaraju, the original landowner was a respondent in the matter, and sought an adjournment since related matters were adjourned to December 5 by a bench led by Chief Justice NV Anjaria last week.

Justice Nagaprasanna accordingly adjourned the hearing on Krishna’s plea to December 10.