No fear or favour, a uniform legal code

West Bengal government has struck a refreshing note of civic discipline. By replacing loudspeakers that breached noise-pollution norms, they have reminded citizens that the law is not a suggestion but a standard. In a country where decibel excess has been normalised - from azaans and jaagrans to political rallies that weaponise sound - this enforcement was overdue, and is welcome. Such a move must be emulated across the country without fear or favour.

The principle here is not anti-religious. On the contrary, it is pro-rights. The Supreme Court has long held that freedom of religion does not extend to disturbing others' peace. Yet, across India, many religious rituals routinely flout exactly that, emboldened by political indulgence and the fear of offending 'sentiment'. The result is a culture where illegality or flouting rules masquerades as tradition, whether it's polluting rivers by immersions, or setting up encroachments in the name of shrines. A pushback on this kind of 'normalisation' is not confined to religion, never mind a religion, but to civil society at large. The law must be applied uniformly - a uniform legal code, if you will. Processions that hijack public roads and make windows shake, and rallies that destroy the peace, especially of the elderly, the sick and animals, need to be unhitched from 'tradition'.

Noise pollution is only one example of India's tolerance for 'normalised' infractions. Traffic violations, firework excesses, wayward garbage disposal... the list is long, the task is challenging. To restore civic order, enforcement must be consistent and community-agnostic. Let India's states ensure that the law is not drowned out by the loudest voice, but amplified by fairness, and the regularly dismissed rule of law.