The quashing of a decades-old show-cause notice by the customs department wouldn’t typically make it to the front page, and yet, thanks to a fifty-year-old song, the judgment from the Gujarat High Court is the big story of the day.
Most readers were probably not tantalised by details of the quashing of the unadjudicated orders from 2010 and 2011, but the mention of a timeless banger ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd got it a lot of attention.
It’s not the first time the courts are relying on a poet, philosopher or songwriter to pepper their judgments. But the usage of this insanely popular song that transcends geographical as well as Time-defined boundaries has instantly captured the nation.
And this is what we need. The democratisation of legal language should take support of pop culture to make law not only more accessible but also fun, and also add depth and value to otherwise banal judgments.
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The philosophers
“And then one day you find ten years have got behind you… No one told you when to run, You missed the starting gun,” this is the excellent verse the judges chose from Time, a song that features on The Dark Side of the Moon, one of the most influential rock albums ever produced. It has other gems like Money, Us & Them, Breathe, The Great Gig in the Sky… actually the album has zero skips.
Each and every song, primarily penned by Roger Waters, is a journey down the existential lane with a distinct soundscape, heartbreaking lyrics and psychedelic rock. The album reflects post-World War II anxieties in Britain. But the universality of lyrics and the overall experience of listening to the album continues to resonate with audiences worldwide. A masterpiece if there was ever one.
Roger Waters, no doubt, is a bard. Over and over again, Pink Floyd has produced albums with timeless songs. And songwriters of that era were no less than philosophers, and their writing continues to reverberate through parties under dim lights.
These are the songs that help the newer generations navigate through life. And these works of art always help popularise public interest in judgments.
In 2024, the Supreme Court used a couplet by Hindi poet Pradeep in a judgment against bulldozer justice.
“Apna ghar ho, apna aangan ho, is khawab mein har koi jeeta hai; Insaan ke dil ki ye chahat hai ki ek ghar ka sapna kabhi naa choote‘ (Everyone lives in the hope of getting their own house one day, every heart desires that this dream never goes unattained),” is how Justice BR Gavai’s judgment opened. And this resonated with readers across the country. Without being dramatic, Justice Gavai was able to make a point by leaning on the wisdom of a poet—and isn’t that what poets are for?
In 2021 order against bulldozer justice, a Delhi High Court judge quoted a couplet from poet Muhammed Iqbal—‘mazhab nahi sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna’ (religion doesn’t preach animosity).
And most famously, in 2020, a judge himself had turned poet and penned a poem in a Delhi riots case. The last lines of the poem read thus:
“Take your freedom from the cage you are in;
Till the trial is over, the state is reigned in.
The State proclaims; to have the cake and eat it too;
The Court comes calling; before the cake is eaten, bake it too.”
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Increase interest
One can only hope that this trend holds in Indian courts. The amusement of seeing one’s favourite song in a judgment should invite more people to read court documents.
But you’re only in luck if your music taste is a decade or two old. The time of philosophy-laced lyrics is also sadly over. Mainstream music is about love, sex and dhoka. And if today’s music doesn’t reflect everyday struggles and larger-than-life questions, we’ll continue to rely on timeless classics.
Regardless, this not only increases readership of judgments and increases recall value, but it also makes the judgments more personal and hard-hitting.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)