PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 345
Shri Kamath: If someone retaliates here ?
Dr. Ambedkar: This policy of tit for tat is not good for the State.
Shri Kamath: What about reciprocity ?
Dr. Ambedkar: It may involve us in great deal of trouble. If we are responsible to our friendly neighbours that our citizens shall not defame them, in the same way the Chinese Government is responsible that the Chinese citizens shall not defame India and the remedy must be left for each Government to adopt in accordance with its own executive authority.
Prof. Ranga (Madras) : And sense of honour.
Dr. Ambedkar: Yes, and sense of honour.
Shri Naziruddin Ahmad: But the present law of defamation will protect foreign States also.
Dr. Ambedkar: My friend has provoked me to do something more which I did not want to do ! Now, let me read to him—this is very important—the law in the United States. Incidentally I would like to remind my friend Dr. Syama Parasad Mookerjee who so vehemently asked [(] Is there any country which has such a law ?’, well, I point to the United States of America. I have got this big volume with me Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
Shri Frank Anthony (Madhya Pradesh) : Is it part of the Bill of Rights.
Dr. Ambedkar: It says—this is an important point— “Notwithstanding the fact that the United States does not permit the Congress to make a law on this particular subject, the Supreme Court on the basis that every State has a police power to protect itself has permitted such a legislation to be on the statute book.”
Shri R. K. Chaudhuri (Assam) : But not on the Constitution.
Dr. Ambedkar: “What is the law ?”—my hon. friend Mr. Naziruddin who asked the question may read it. It goes much beyond our Indian law. The first clause says that “anybody wilfully and knowingly making any untrue statement, either