DSK Legal and the Theatre of Law: A Gandhian Response to Corporate Legalism

This letter, penned by Dr. Debaprasad Bandyopadhyay on behalf of Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA) on July 31, 2025, serves as a principled response to a legal notice from DSK Legal, received mere hours before a mandated court appearance in Mumbai, framing it as an act of civic resistance rather than a mere defense. It critiques the systemic issues of democratic erosion, ecological injustice, and digital rights violations in a corporatized India, highlighting the legal machinery’s tendency to favor wealth and power over truth and people, exemplified by the environmental degradation caused by corporate real-estate and pharmaceutical entities in vulnerable regions like Mumbai and rural Digwal. The letter challenges the timing and logistics of the notice, questions the ethical conduct of DSK Legal—including pagination errors, unsolicited promotions, and potential data misuse under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023—and calls for transparency and accountability, while inviting support for Anti-SLAPP legislation to protect public-interest research and whistleblowing. Rooted in Gandhian non-violent resistance, it critiques the alleged crony capitalism and philanthro-capitalism of figures like Mr. Paramavaisnava, urging a reflection on the broader corporate-state nexus and the need for a legal culture that upholds democratic values.