Right to question not defiance, every dissent not a threat: SC judge

Supreme Court judge Ujjal Bhuyan has stressed that governments must listen to citizens and permit dissent as a fundamental aspect of democratic governance. He stated that questioning constitutes an essential expression of citizenship and liberty in democracies, and that universities should foster free thinking by encouraging students to ask difficult questions.

Bhuyan cautioned that intolerance undermines the constitutional framework when disagreement is silenced or punished. He emphasized that a democracy's maturity is measured by how it responds to unpopular or inconvenient opinions.