India elections: ‘Our rule of law is under attack from our own government, but the world does not see this’  https://theconversation.com/india-elections-our-rule-of-law-is-under-attack-from-our-own-government-but-the-world-does-not-see-this-226889  April 11, 2024 Led by the ideology of Hindutva, which perceives India’s history to be inextricably linked with Hindu religious practice, and with the help of a hand-picked committee of advisers, they have pursued a vision of India as a country run by Hindus for Hindus.

This is the story of how you build an authoritarian state, the legal way.

Step 1: reinterpret existing laws..Hindus attacking marginalised groups is no longer discrimination in India. But stating that powerful Hindu groups are attacking minorities is now hate speech or incitement

Step 2: introduce new laws. The second element of Modi’s strategy is the introduction of new anti-minority laws and criminal codes. 

Step 3: silence the judges third strategy that India’s government has used to cement power and undermine democratic structures: the silencing of a once-independent, critical judiciary.

Step 4: revise history: To achieve complete control over public opinion, one final ingredient is required: one must use the now-subordinated legal system to promote a version of national history that falls in line with the government’s social and political vision.

At its heart, any authoritarian project – whether in the US, Russia or India – must set out to tackle the country’s legal system. To achieve the desired level of control, the project’s leaders know they must bring supposedly justice-producing institutions like courts and police into line with their political ideologies, or their ambitions for the country will fail.