‘Constitution, not convenience’: Harvard-affiliated Indians hit out at anti-EC protests

Harvard-affiliated Indians flag attacks on constitutional institutions and alleged misuse of the university’s name

A group of Indian citizens affiliated with Harvard University has raised concerns over what it described as a “concerted campaign” against the country's constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and Parliament.In a statement issued on Wednesday, the signatories also flagged reports of Harvard University's name being used to lend credibility to a political campaign without appropriate authorisation, while calling for greater respect for constitutional values and democratic institutions."We are deeply concerned by the negative public discourse and concerted campaign against India’s constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission of India, the Supreme Court, the office of the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, and Parliament," the statement said.The signatories expressed concern over public discourse surrounding constitutional authorities, particularly the use of terms such as “thieves” and “compromised” to describe them, and references to India being under “siege”.Such language, they said, raised serious concerns about attempts to undermine public trust in democratic institutions.“The language used to describe India as being under ‘siege’ and to characterise constitutional authorities as ‘thieves’ or ‘compromised’ raises serious concerns about the intent to undermine public trust in democratic institutions,” the statement read.

‘Evidence, not accusations’

The statement also addressed the role of law enforcement agencies in maintaining public order, saying their actions should be subject to fair scrutiny but that allegations must be grounded in evidence and due process.“The actions of law enforcement agencies to uphold public order deserve fair scrutiny, but sweeping accusations and abusive rhetoric cannot substitute for evidence, due process or institutional accountability,” the signatories said.They also stressed the need to respect public officials and the offices they hold, adding that constitutional principles and civil liberties must not be applied selectively.“The Constitution, rule of law, and civil liberties must be respected at all times, not just when it suits our interests,” the statement said.

Summing up their appeal, the signatories said: “Our commitment must remain to the Constitution, not convenience; to justice, not selective outrage; and to democratic institutions, not the politics of accusation.”The signatories listed affiliations with several Harvard schools, including Harvard Medical School, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, Harvard Extension School, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education.Among those named were AK Raghawan and Abhigyan Satyam of Harvard Medical School; Abhishek M, Banu Nagarajan, Bhavya Bishnoi, Deepanshu Aggarwal, Divya Dwivedi and Jaya Awasthi of Harvard Kennedy School; and Adhitya Srinivasan and Almas Lokhandwala of Harvard Law School.The statement comes as opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party have been protesting against the alleged irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls.