NEW DELHI: Retired Supreme Court judge – Justice Kurian Joseph – criticized media houses for their failure to uphold democracy, the Constitution, and the truth, despite being considered the fourth pillar of democracy.
He was speaking at a seminar organized by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) at the Indian Society of International Law in New Delhi.
Justice Kurian Joseph lamented the lack of fearless and truthful reporting from most media outlets, except for a few in the digital sphere.
He emphasized that the failure of the media to fulfil its role as the fourth pillar of democracy constitutes a significant setback for the country.
“Except a couple of media in the digital side, we do not find any fearless, truthful version of the facts coming out…the greatest blow to democracy is that the fourth pillar has failed the country…forget about the first three pillars, fourth pillar is the media…they have failed to defend democracy, they have failed to defend the Constitution, they have failed to defend the truth,” Justice Kurian Joseph was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.
Addressing concerns about whistle-blowers, Justice Joseph expressed dismay at the scarcity of individuals willing to speak out against wrongdoing.
He highlighted the prevailing atmosphere of suppression, which discourages potential whistle-blowers from coming forward and emphasized the importance of supporting and standing by those who dare to expose corruption and injustice.
“The way the lungs are crushed in the country today so that nobody will blow the whistle is a very dangerous trend for the country. So, we need to support, stand up, speak out, stay alert, and need to stay with at least a few of those whistle-blowers, who are left in the country,” he said.