Indian Democracy

All three pillars of democracy must work together for citizens: CJI Gavai

All the three wings of democracy - executive, judiciary and legislature - exist for the welfare of citizens and none can work in isolation, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Gavai said on Wednesday. Speaking at the project initiation function of the Maharashtra National Law University's (MNLU) campus in Mumbai, he said the principles of liberty, justice and equality are embodied in the Constitution. The judiciary has neither the power of the sword nor the power of words. Unless the executive is on board, it is difficult for the judiciary to provide adequate infrastructure to judiciary as well as legal education, the CJI said. He noted law education is now developing with more practical-oriented training and hence infrastructure plays a very important role. The CJI refuted criticism that the Maharashtra government was found lacking when it comes to providing judiciary infrastructure and insisted the notion was based on incorrect views. He lauded the state government and Chief .

Dynastic politics 'grave threat' to Indian democracy: Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said that dynastic politics across the political spectrum poses a "grave threat" to Indian democracy and asserted it is high time that India traded "dynasty for meritocracy". He said that when political power is determined by lineage rather than ability, commitment or grassroots engagement, the quality of governance suffers. In an article for international media organisation Project Syndicate, the Thiruvananthapuram MP pointed out that while the Nehru-Gandhi family is associated with the Congress, dynastic succession prevails across the political spectrum. Tharoor's remarks come weeks after the row over his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach after the Pahalgam attack. His comments were at variance with the Congress stand and many party leaders took a swipe at him, questioning his intentions. In the article titled 'Indian Politics Are a Family Business', Tharoor said that for decades, one family has towered o

Wholesale attack on democracy in India: Rahul Gandhi at Colombia university

Claiming that there is a "wholesale attack on the democratic system" in India currently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said allowing different traditions to thrive is important for the country, as "we cannot do what China does, which is to suppress people and run an authoritarian system". Speaking at the EIA University in Medellin, Colombia, Gandhi said India has a much more complex system as compared with China and India's strengths are very different from that of the neighbouring country. India also has a very old spiritual tradition and a thought system with profound ideas that are useful in today's world, he said, adding that there is a lot that the country can offer in terms of tradition and the way of thinking. "I am very optimistic about India, but at the same time, there are fault lines within the Indian structure, there are risks that India has to overcome. The single-biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India," the leader of opposition in the

Centre moots extending tenure of parliamentary panels to two years

The move follows concerns from lawmakers that the current one-year term is too short for committees to conduct in-depth studies and prepare effective reports

Arm's-length regulators need protection from executive interference

The notion that "democratic accountability" justifies conferring such unfettered power on Executive is not just incorrect, but also shows inadequate understanding of modern structures of governance

Regimes collapse because of weak institutions, not leaders or ideologies

To be truly functional and durable, even eternal, a state doesn't just need a leader, a party, or an ideology. It needs functional and robust institutions

Serving vs ruling in a democracy: Rethinking attitudes to governance

Indeed, this is a Perry moment for India, but it is unlikely to be the last - unless we fundamentally rethink governance and adopt jana seva attitude toward citizens. Are people being ruled or served

The Conscience Network: Fighting the emergency and the US battlefront

The element of equivalence between then and now is probed delicately but bravely by this book which revisits the Emergency and the resistance to it from a new angle

Today's political atmosphere not favourable for Indian democracy: Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday expressed concern over the current political scenario in the country, saying today's political atmosphere is not favourable for Indian democracy and social health. Speaking at 'Sneh Milan Samaroh' organised by the Rajasthan Pragatisheel Manch at the Constitution Club in Jaipur, Dhankhar said the intensity and tone of political exchanges today were detrimental to the democratic and social fabric of the nation. The vice president said he does not come under pressure and does not pressure anyone. "The environment and temperature of politics today are neither suitable for our democracy nor in tune with our ancient civilisational values. Political rivals are not enemies. Enemies may exist across borders but there should be none within the country," the vice president said. He called for greater decorum in legislative conduct, cautioning that public disenchantment with the conduct of lawmakers inside legislatures could erode faith in democratic .

VP Dhankhar calls Emergency-era Preamble changes a 'festering wound'

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday asserted the preamble of a constitution is "not changeable" but was changed in India during the Emergency which signals a betrayal of the "wisdom" of the framers of the Constitution. He also said the words inserted in the Preamble in 1976 during the period of Emergency, were a "nasoor" (festering wound) and could cause upheaval. "It is nothing but belittling the civilisational wealth and knowledge of this country for thousands of years. It is a sacrilege of the spirit of Sanatan," the vice president said at a book launch event here. Dhankhar described preamble as a "seed" on which a constitution grows. He also underlined that the preamble of no other constitution has undergone change except that of India. "The Preamble of a constitution is not changeable. But this Preamble was changed by the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act of 1976," he said noting that the words "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" were added. He said it was a trave

SC flags rising bail rejections, says democracy must not be police state

The Supreme Court has expressed dismay over rejection of bail pleas by trial courts in "not very serious cases" despite the completion of investigations. A bench comprising justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan on Monday said a democratic country must not function like a police state, where law enforcement agencies exercise arbitrary powers to detain individuals without genuine necessity. It observed that two decades ago, bail pleas in smaller cases rarely reached the high courts, let alone the top court. "It is shocking that the Supreme Court is adjudicating bail pleas in cases that should be disposed of at the trial court level. The system is being burdened unnecessarily," Justice Oka said while hearing a bail plea. This is not the first time the top court has flagged this issue. It has repeatedly urged trial courts and high courts to adopt a more liberal stance in granting bail, particularly in cases involving minor infractions. The apex court had previously expressed its angui

From childhood to govt, key takeaways from PM Modi's chat with Lex Fridman

In a podcast with AI researcher Lex Fridman released on Sunday, PM Modi spoke on a wide array of topics, including his experiences in the Himalayas, democracy in India, and the 2002 Gujarat riots

'Deeply concerning': MEA reacts to Trump's claim on $21 mn USAID funding

Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter, said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Donald Trump's remarks regarding the '$21 million allocation to India for voter turnout'

VP Jagdeep Dhankhar urges exposure of those behind attack on democracy

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday voiced concern over the alleged USAID funding for raising voter turnout in India, saying people who allowed such an attack on the country's democratic values should be exposed. He also said that it was the "national duty" of people to strike at such forces. Addressing an event in Miami on Thursday, US President Donald Trump once again questioned the USAID funding of USD 21 million for voter turnout in India, and said "I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected". Speaking at an event on meditation here, Dhankhar said the remarks on USAID funding came from a person of authority and that it was a fact that money was given. Calling for the use of "Chanakya niti" to get into the root of the controversy, he said the problem should be eradicated from its roots. "People who allowed such kind of an attack (to allegedly damage the electoral purity) should be exposed," he said. He also said delivering a body blow to such forces is the ...

Practise what you preach: Jaishankar to West over global democracy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took a dig at the Western countries for treating democracy as a "Western characteristic", accusing them of not practising abroad what they valued at home. Jaishankar made these remarks on Friday at a panel discussion titled "Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience" at the Munich Security Conference. He also said that "if you do want democracy eventually to prevail, it's important the West also embraces successful models (democracy) outside the West." There was a time I have to say this in all honesty when the West treated democracy as a Western characteristic and was busy encouraging non-democratic forces in the Global South. It still does. Everything you value at home, you don't practice abroad. "So, I do think the rest of the Global South will view the successes, shortcomings and the responses of other countries," he said. He also said India, for "all the challenges that we have had, even at a low income, we have stayed

'Democracy puts food on the table': Jaishankar claps back at US Senator

EAM S Jaishankar also slammed the West for backing non-democratic forces abroad while championing democracy at home

Ex-CJI Chandrachud defends SC ruling on Article 370, PM Modi's puja visit

In an interview, Justice (Retd) DY Chandrachud addressed criticism of the court's decision to uphold the Centre's move to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's special status

As India nears 1 bn electors, it seeks solutions to freebies, black money

Estimates of election related expenditure of political parties and candidates, and EC's seizures, reveal barely the tip of the total election spends of candidates and political parties

Lathi charge on peaceful student protesters attack on democracy: Kejriwal

In a post on the social media platform X, Kejriwal highlighted the incident as an attack on democracy and criticised the government's response to student voices

Manmohan Singh: The technocrat who reshaped India's economic destiny

Manmohan Singh showed that technocrats can change nations' destinies as effectively as any populist