I think it is time each one of us stood up and spoke out. Blaming Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, left to his own devices, misses the bigger picture. The buck stops with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Since 2014, India has witnessed demonetisation, the Rafale controversy, Pegasus, the Delhi riots, the abrogation of Article 370, the Ayodhya verdict and disputes over excavations at historical mosques, raising questions about the Places of Worship Act, 1991. The Supreme Court’s handling of electoral bonds, struck down only after substantial opaque political funding had accumulated, and questions surrounding transparency in the PM CARES Fund and the Prime Minister’s educational qualifications have further fuelled concerns about accountability. Now, allegations of voter list manipulation and mass disenfranchisement through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) threaten democratic participation. Despite mounting concerns and repeated pleas, the Supreme Court has failed, in my view, to adequately address the serious questions surrounding the exercise. When institutions entrusted with protecting constitutional rights appear unwilling to act decisively, public faith in democracy suffers. Their failure to act has left Indian democracy dangerously weakened.
VINAY DWIVEDI, Benaulim
