Rule of law

From time immemorial, we have idealized the rule of law in precept and undermined it in practice. We have forgotten Cicero’s warning that

§ ‘we are in bondage to the law so that we might be free’
and that
§ ‘howsoever high you may be, the law is above you.’

We ignore Montesquieu who saw

§ ‘liberty as the right to do as the law permits’

and we violate William Penn’s apt words,

§ ‘Law is the insurance we have on our lives and property. Obedience is the premium we pay for it.’

Abhishek Singvi
HT- 21.4.04