Friend of the Court

There were just a handful of women involved in writing a Constitution for a new India, and one of them was Hansa Mehta.

Mehta was extraordinary in many ways; she was born into a progressive family that educated her, she faced social opprobrium by choosing to marry outside her caste, and she was among the few active Congress leaders.

Mehta emerged as one of the key figures in the nascent women’s movement in India, and forged a career as a dynamic politician and later representative from India to the United Nations.

Guests: Achyut Chetan, Mrinalini Sinha, Radha Vatsal

Credits:

Host: Supriya Nair

(Supriya Nair is Head, Research and Media at Godrej DEI Lab)

Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli

Script editor: Sukhada Tatke

Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar

Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Mastering: Ayan De

Recording Studio: Stitch Audio, Mumbai

Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan advised the show.

Special thanks to Alok Prasanna Kumar, Justice Gautam Patel, Jaydev Mehta, Kiran Mehta and Reetika Subramanian

How do you deploy the principles of justice and fairness day in and day out? What does it mean to work the Constitution “insurgently”? Through his life and work the lawyer and civil rights activist KG Kannabiran showed us exactly how. Sometimes known as the “Naxalite lawyer”, with a reputation for representing poor and downtrodden prisoners, Kannabiran was tireless in his efforts towards preserving human rights and fighting state impunity.

In this episode we explore how this lawyer from Andhra Pradesh was at the forefront of India’s civil liberties movement.

Guests: Kalpana Kannabiran, D Nagasaila, Nikhileshwar, V Suresh

Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam, Alok Prasanna Kumar, Deepa Dhanraj and Reetika Subramanian

Credits:

Host: Raghu Karnad

Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli

Script editing: Sukhada Tatke

Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar

Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Mastering: Ayan De

Recording Studio: Stitch Audio, Mumbai

Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan

In 1950, the newly-formed Supreme Court had to decide on its first case concerning civil liberties. Should the government be allowed to preventively detain citizens, mostly political dissidents? In AK Gopalan vs State of Madras four out of five judges sided with the government. Only one judge differed. His name was Justice Saiyid Fazl Ali and he wrote the court’s first, and one of its most important dissents.

What is the historic and legal value of a dissenting judgement, and how did this one come about? In this episode we delve into the life and work of Justice Fazl Ali and the afterlife of his AK Gopalan judgement.

Guests: Abhinav Sekhri, Alok Prasanna Kumar and Seher Ali

Credits:

Host: Supriya Nair

(Supriya Nair is Head, Research and Media at Godrej DEI Lab)

Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli

Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar

Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Mastering: Ayan De

Recording Studio: Stitch Audio, Mumbai

Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam and Reetika Subramanian 

Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support

Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan advised the show.

Few political thinkers have had as varied and storied a career as the star of this episode: MN Roy.

Did he contribute to the fundamental rights we enjoy today? How did he envision the constitution for a free India? And why did he switch from violent nationalism to communism to mainstream Congress politics?

Wanted by the police, chased across continents, a charismatic speaker and thinker, Roy might be largely forgotten today, but here we explore his radical ideas and a vision for an India that never came to be.

Guests: Aditya Nigam, Gautam Pemmaraju and Niraja Jayal Gopal

Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam, Reetika Subramanian and Prabhakar Kumar.

Credits:

Host: Raghu Karnad

Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli

Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar

Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Mastering: Ayan De

Recording Studio: at Stitch Audio, Mumbai

Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support

Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan

How did filmmakers participate in the nation building project in the early years of independence? What role did films play in popularising our constitutional ideals? Tune in as host Supriya Nair takes you through the life and work of writer KA Abbas and actor-director Raj Kapoor.

This episode explores the socio-political commentary in their films and how they touched upon some of the most urgent questions of the time while entertaining audiences.

* This episode is based on Lawrence Liang’s chapter on Awara and the constitution from his forthcoming book “Objection m’lord: law and justice in Indian popular cinema”*

Guests: Iffat Fatima, Lawrence Liang, Nasreen Munni Kabir and Syeda Hameed.

Credits:

Host: Supriya Nair (Supriya Nair is Head, Research and Media as Godrej DEI Lab)

Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli

Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar

Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Mastering: Ayan De

Recording Studio: at Stitch Audio, Mumbai

Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support

Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan advised the show.

Special thanks to Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Justice Gautam Patel, Reetika Subramanian, Sugandha Yadav and Vasuman Khandelwal.

The Indian constitution is one of the few, if only, illustrated constitutions in the world. Twenty two panels open each of the chapters, featuring characters and scenes from Indian history and myth. Who was the person who spearheaded the project of bringing our constitution to life visually?

Nandalal Bose, a pioneer of modernism in Indian art, and the favoured artist of both Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. In this episode we explore how the Constitution came to be illustrated, why certain images were chosen and the life and work of the man in charge of it. 

Guests: Prof. Siva Kumar, Prof. Naman Ahuja

Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam, Reetika Subramanian, Sugandha Yadav and Vasuman Khandelwal.

Credits: 

Host: Raghu Karnad

Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli 

Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar  

Music direction and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Recording Engineer and Mastering: Ayan De

Recorded at: Stitch Audio, Mumbai 

Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support

Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan.

Corrections and Clarifications:

1. This episode states that a thousand copies of the Constitution were printed after the decoration was completed in 1950. While it is true that the copies were printed, Nandalal Bose continued to work on the art work for another 4 years [see: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/constitution-1st-edition-auctioned-for-record-rs-48-lakh/articleshow/112151201.cms]

Hosts Raghu Karnad and Supriya Nair give us a sneak peek into season 3. They introduce the people who inspired this season and discuss the idea of constitutional culture and how it is shaped.

Episodes start rolling out on 26 March 2025.

The team behind Friend of the Court sits down for a chat with writer and editor Vikram Shah. They talk about what went into the making of the show, including the research, writing and sound design. Featuring writers Ramya Boddupalli and Bhavya Dore, producer Gaurav Vaz and advisor Lawrence Liang

The new Janata government is keen to roll back the excesses of the emergency. Law minister Shanti Bhushan has to undo the constitutional damage of the emergency years. Legislation doesn't solve all the problems—one final battle remains. And Nani Palkhivala returns to fight for the basic structure.

The Minerva Mills case becomes the final phase of this battle between the court and the government. We then examine the legacy and impact of the basic structure judgement both in India and abroad. 

Guests: Gautam Bhatia, Prashant Bhushan, KK Venugopal, Lawrence Liang, Navroz Seervai, Sandip Thakore and Justice Rohinton Nariman 

Host: Raghu Karnad

Research Manager: Ramya Boddupalli

Research: Bhavya Dore, Ramya Boddupalli

Legal Research: Aishwarya Chaturvedi

Script writing: Bhavya Dore, Ramya Boddupalli

Script Editor: Supriya Nair

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Sound Design, Score & Title Track: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Mixing & Mastering: Ayan De

Advisors: Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan

For transcript and more resources go to: https://www.anildivanfoundation.org/season-2

The emergency brings in a series of draconian measures including mass sterilisation drives, slum demolitions and press censorship. The conflict between the court and the government seems to have abated for now. Even the basic structure judgement has been dormant for two years. But suddenly, a bench is constituted to review the judgement.

A fresh phase of courtroom drama unfolds as Nani Palkhivala comes to defend the judgement. It is described as his finest hour in court. The Gandhi government moves to make other drastic changes to the Constitution.

After that, the emergency is abruptly lifted and elections are held.

Guests: Ajoy Bose, AK Ganguli, Arvind Datar, Lawrence Liang, Prashant Bhushan, Rajiv Khanna and Justice Rohinton Nariman.

Host: Raghu Karnad

Research Manager: Ramya Boddupalli

Research: Bhavya Dore, Ramya Boddupalli

Legal Research: Aishwarya Chaturvedi

Script writing: Bhavya Dore, Ramya Boddupalli

Script Editor: Supriya Nair

Producer: Gaurav Vaz

Sound Design, Score & Title Track: Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Mixing & Mastering: Ayan De

Advisors: Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan

Clips used:

1976 - Emergency era interview with Indira Gandhi during Mauritius Visit

Exclusive: LK Advani On The 'Emergency' Comment

Anil Divan on habeas corpus case: https://www.youtube.com/live/kWeZgwgZP_0?si=swJxNUqByFYdCrva 

RR7640A INDIA MRS GANDHI DEFENDS HER RECORD

Indira Gandhi calls for elections: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/video/the-emergency-indira-gandhi-indian-democracy-430486-2015-06-25 

Leader Of Janata Party Narayan Arrives To Jaipur To Launch Elections Campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9cUuIx2PhI 

1977 General Elections - Congress rally at Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh 

SYND 25 3 77 DESAI SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN NEW DELHI RR7717 INDIA: POST-ELECTION REPORT

https://www.anildivanfoundation.org/season-2