A Madras High Court Judge’s suggestion to amend the Constitution of India mandating that every citizen also has a duty to laugh comes as a whiff of fresh air — something the country has been gasping for, of late. Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench has a remarkably refined sense of humour, but in quashing an FIR against a man arrested for an innocuous social media post, his insightful observations only highlight the idiocy and absurdity that surround the growth and normalisation of the offence-taking tribe. Written from the perspective of cartoonists and satirists, the judgment draws attention to how what ought to be a reasonable understanding of a situation is increasingly being influenced by impulses that border on the irrational and amount to an abuse of the legal process. The petitioner tried tongue-in-cheek wordplay while captioning photographs after a sight-seeing trip with family : ‘Trip to Sirumalai for shooting practice’. For the police, it appeared as a threat to wage war, though the Judicial Magistrate refused remand. ‘Laugh at what?’ is a serious question, the Judge said, using the ‘holy cow’ as a metaphor, which varies from person to person, region to region. Being funny is one thing, the Judge rightly states, and poking fun at another is different altogether. Those who have been at the receiving end for their attempt at humour can draw strength from the ruling, but then, a creative process facing combative opposition because of its very nature is anything but funny.
According to the given passage, which of the following statements is true?
Correct Answer :
every humorous expression should be understood reasonably and rationally.
Solution :
Correct Answer: every humorous expression should be understood reasonably and rationally.
Explanation:
Let us analyze the given passage to determine the correct statement:
1. The passage highlights a ruling by Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court while quashing an FIR against a man for a harmless social media post.
2. It states: "Written from the perspective of cartoonists and satirists, the judgment draws attention to how what ought to be a reasonable understanding of a situation is increasingly being influenced by impulses that border on the irrational and amount to an abuse of the legal process."
3. This directly implies that humorous or satirical expressions ought to be interpreted with a reasonable and rational understanding, rather than being met with irrational impulses or legal action.
4. Looking at the other options:
- Option 1: "Social media often popularised insensitive and offensive posts." – The passage does not state this as a general claim.
- Option 2: "it should be a right of every person to poke fun at others." – The Judge specifically notes that "Being funny is one thing, and poking fun at another is different altogether," making this statement incorrect.
- Option 3: "Creative expressions are bound to be offensive to some persons." – This is not the main true assertion conveyed by the text.
Therefore, the statement "every humorous expression should be understood reasonably and rationally." is the correct answer according to the passage.
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