India, I have long maintained, is a fifty-fifty democracy. In some respects—such as free and fair elections, free movement of people—we are as democratic as any other country in the world. In other respects we lag noticeably behind. One such area is the freedom of expression.
The Eight threats:
- Archaic colonial laws
- Imperfections in the judiciary
- Rising importance of identity politics
- Police forces’ support lumpen forces
- Active connivance of all political parties
- Dependence of regional media on government advertising
- Dependence of English media on corporate advertising
- Careerist or ideologically driven writers
