“Politics Of Embarrassment”, 13 May 2018
Scope and Contents
The Upendra Baxi Collection is a digital collection that currently comprises a single series, Bibliography. This series is organised into several subseries, including Published Academic Articles, Published Book Chapters, Published Books, Published Book Reviews, Published Lectures and Presentations from Conferences and Seminars, Newspaper Articles, Letters and Correspondence (Mathura Rape Case), Other Media, and Media Articles by Others on the Mathura Rape Case.
Dates
- Publication: 13 May 2018
Creator
- Upendra Baxi (Author, Person)
- Sharunya (Archives Intern, Person)
- Meghashree Dev (Processing Archivist, Person)
Full Extent
From the Collection: 250 Megabytes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This piece explores how "embarrassment" serves as a tool in constitutional politics and judicial discourse. Baxi examines instances where public interest litigation (PIL) or judicial remarks are used to shame the executive into action. He argues that while embarrassment can be a catalyst for institutional reform, it is a double-edged sword that can lead to friction between the wings of the state. The article suggests that "demosprudence"—the jurisprudence of the people—often relies on this social and political pressure to hold powerful actors accountable when formal legal sanctions remain slow or ineffective. In India Legal.
Repository Details
Part of the NLS Law and Society Archives Repository