Gen Z undeterred by propaganda, ‘Dimagi Naxal’ taunts: Ex-judge

Senior Advocate and former Orissa High Court Chief Justice S Muralidhar on Monday said India's Gen Z will not be easily swayed by political rhetoric or propaganda. Delivering the DS Borker Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, he said recent protests by the younger generation offered reassurance that Indian democracy will endure.

Justice Muralidhar noted that the July protests showed Gen Z was prepared to challenge authority and remained undeterred despite attempts to portray protesters as 'Dimagi Naxals', a term used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also criticised the use of criminal law against peaceful protesters and the growing inequality in wealth and power, which he said was controlled by corporate oligopolies.

He argued that India by 2047 must preserve space for criticism of those in power and stop criminalising personal choices such as marriage. He also questioned whether courts have consistently fulfilled their constitutional role as a check on state power, warning that the justice system could lose public faith if courts themselves turn into sites of oppression.