Dignity

Posted on by Rudrajyoti Nath Ray

Dignity is an ambiguous and malleable concept. It is difficult to define, and is perhaps best left undefined. In a world with so many different life views and value systems, a single, universal conception of dignity is impossible to sustain. Dignity’s malleability, however, also means it can be invoked to support competing positions. This tension was on full display when this Court considered permissibility of passive euthanasia in Common Cause v. Union of India, (2018) 5 SCC 1 and Harish Rana v. Union of India, 2026 SCC OnLine SC 358. The right to live with dignity is open-ended in nature. It does not prescribe specific content for every context.

– Hon’ble Justice J.B. Pardiwala, Prajwala v. Union of India, [Miscellaneous Application No. 530 of 2022 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 56 of 2004].

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'The Last Word' seeks to include not only wise and witty sayings but also curiosities. These words are not of obligation but of delight. I am not alone in my refusal to believe, law is tedious. For all who escaped these percipient eyes, mea culpa maxima. History, after all, has many cunning passages, contrived corridors and issues.