Analysis of authoritarianism in India and the misuse of laws

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The emerging authoritarianism in India is characterized by the government using laws to suppress independent opinions, opposition parties, and their supporters. India's weak checks and balances stem from historical attempts to keep the country united during the tumultuous partition. Over time, the central government has been entrusted with extensive powers, some of which are misused by subsequent governments. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act is an example of a law with draconian measures that have been abused to arrest individuals, such as chief ministers, for political gains. The bureaucracy, often aligned with the ruling party, enforces the government's will without questioning, leading to misuse of powers. The existing laws allow for such misuse, creating a scenario where those who dare to oppose face consequences as a deterrent for others. There is a critical need to amend these laws to prevent authoritarianism from further entrenching in the country.

Across the world, billions of citizens are being asked to cast their vote in elections taking place in more than 50 countries and in many places, populist, illiberal and far-right parties are either growing in support or consolidating gains they have already made. But India, the world’s biggest democracy, bucked the trend with Narendra Modi’s relatively weak election victory in June. In the third of this five-part series, the FT’s renowned economics commentator, Martin Wolf, and Raghuram Rajan, former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, discuss the Indian election results and inherent weaknesses of authoritarian styles of government.

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Martin Wolf column: Fascism has changed, but it is not dead

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This episode is presented by Martin Wolf. The producer is Sandra Kanthal. Production help from Sonja Hutson. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Nigel Appleton. The FT's global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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