The Speaking Constitution : A Sisyphean Life in Law

By K.G. Kannabiran

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About the book

‘This unfinished Sisyphean struggle has not made me tire of it; mine has been the struggle for a better world and the struggle is its own reward.’

The Speaking Constitution takes a close look at the functioning of the Constitution and the development of the idea of justice through the courts, mapping in the process a legal geography of civil liberties in India through the work of one of its most committed campaigners.

An edited translation of the oral memoir narrated by advocate and human rights activist K.G. Kannabiran (1929-2010), this book is reflective of Kannabiran’s lifelong battle with the state and his work in the civil liberties movement in India.

From Ansari Begum’s deportation case in the aftermath of Partition to encounter deaths and custodial killings, the work of citizens’ tribunals in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat massacre, the peace talks and negotiations between Naxalites and the Andhra Pradesh government, the highly polarizing trial of Afzal Guru and the question of the death penalty, Kannabiran shines light on human rights violations in courts across the country and the radical possibilities the Constitution offers citizens today. In the process, he maps a legal geography of the civil liberties movement in India.

Rich in detail and insightful, The Speaking Constitution: A Sisyphean Life in Law interweaves personal history with that of courtcraft and politics to create an unparalleled account of the evolution of jurisprudence in India.

Pages: 340

Available in: Paperback

Language: English

K.G. Kannabiran

K.G. Kannabiran (1929–2010) was Senior Advocate, Andhra Pradesh High Court, and an architect of the civil liberties movement in India. He was President of Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (1978–1993) and National President, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (1995–2009).

“

This book by the doyen of the human rights movement and lawyering in India … shows that human rights activism is not just about passion but also about craft, courage, conviction and grounded reality. - MIHIR DESAI - vice president, People’s Union for Civil Liberties

This fascinating memoir … gives an insider’s account of the golden era of human rights mobilization in India … A lawyer and a peacemaker, we truly miss him in the South Asia of today. - RADHIKA COOMARASWAMY - former UN under-secretary-general

This is a work that must interest and engage all those across the globe who fight for a just and inclusive society. - GISELE CITTADINO - associate professor, Pontifical Catholic University, Rio de Janeiro

Sisyphean, indeed! This book is a testament to a struggle to humanize the Indian Constitution and is an indispensable moral testimony, so vital for the social sciences and legal studies, but also for human and social rights activists beyond India … It reads like a haunting war journal. - ARI SITAS - emeritus professor, University of Cape Town

The legendary proportions of K.G. Kannabiran’s contribution to holding powers accountable to the Constitution are brought to life in this book through a reflective autobiography and a biographical recounting by Kalpana Kannabiran in her matchless “Introduction”. - G.N. DEVY - writer and cultural activist

K.G. Kannabiran’s memoir gives us an invaluable look into the life of a person dedicated to the cause of civil liberties, human rights, justice and dignity. It was a life that never gave up hope. - RANABIR SAMADDAR - political scientist