Father Stan Swamy’s death while in custody and the continued incarceration of 15 others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case has focused attention on how such tough laws are used to deny citizens their basic rights.Various governments have shown disdain and hostility towards human rights and have received support from the public too. But what do we mean when we use the term human rights?Shadan Farasat, who practices in the Supreme Court and has defended many individuals whose civil liberties have been affected, says there are many misconceptions about human rights and that they affect every citizen.In this podcast interview with Sidharth Bhatia, Farasat says the media’s support for the government has affected not just public opinion but also the courts. “The capture of the media by the ruling party has been a challenge,” he says. But there are “encouraging signs” in the Supreme Court.
