Patriotism pe charcha, Your Honours?

So, when did the Supreme Court decide to start doling out lectures on patriotism? Sure, giving anyone who criticises the army a stern finger-wag is understandable - from an RWA uncle. But why is the court getting harangued by anyone who had stated, rightly or wrongly, that the Chinese are 'thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh' and telling him, 'If you were a true Indian, you would not say all this.' Yes, the army can give the chap a dressing down, especially if the claim is unsubstantiated. The government, too, can give the gentleman a piece of its mind - considering the real critique was made by Rahul Gandhi, an opposition politician, against GoI's handling of the Galwan Valley clashes.

From interpreting laws to delivering unsolicited TED Talks on patriotism is a strange gear shift. Suddenly, the judiciary is talking not about rights or facts but about hurting the nation's soul, or some such. Even as jingoism jingles louder each day, one would think the army to be brave enough to defend itself from charges of 'getting thrashed'. Imagine anti-Vietnam protesters in pre-Trump America being told by courts that they can't be true Americans if they sloganeer, 'Hey, hey LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?' Actually, hold that thought. Trumpland is doing much of that today. So, we suppose, our courts are simply ahead of their curve.