Kerala High Court judge A. Muhamed Mustaque inaugurated the valedictory session of a two-day Constitution Day celebration organised by the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair of the Law Department at Kerala University on Saturday.
Justice Mustaque emphasised the need to interpret the Constitution from the perspectives of dignity, freedom and equality for individuals. He also pointed out such interpretation should not be limited to certain confines of constitutional values and precedents, but should ensure primacy for fundamental rights, especially privacy and personal dignity.
He held the view that governments could not engage in moral policing by interfering with the private lives of individuals, especially government employees. “The government has no role in the private affairs of an individual as long as his physical capacity of being a public authority is not compromised,” he said, while adding that the menace of moral policing is an offshoot of a patriarchal mindset that is deeply entrenched in the system.
Justice Mustaque also highlighted the challenges posed by emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing especially in aspects pertaining to identity and privacy breaches. Considering the lack of “apt legislations” to tackle such concerns, the judge said the challenge posed by machines is the most difficult one to tackle in the modern era.
Registrar K.S. Anil Kumar presided over the programme. District Judge B. Prabhath Kumar, and Head of the Law Department and Honorary Director of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair Sindhu Thulaseedharan also spoke.