Indian democracy in peril: Amartya Sen, Amitav Ghosh among eminent open letter signatories

Expressing deep concern at the recent tendency in India to incarcerate critics of the NDA government without trial, and often without even a complete charge sheet, several international scholars, academicians, and writers have written an open letter addressed to all concerned, urging the global community to take note.

“This entire democratic tradition is being fundamentally undermined by some recent developments in that country. Any abridgement of democracy in India is tragic, not only for the people of India, but for all of humanity,” reads the letter.

The statement, including a separate one by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen addressed to "my fellow citizens", provides several instances of journalists and activists who have been incarcerated for simply being critical of the current government.

The letter points out that Prabir Purkayastha, the 75-year-old journalist, author, and founding editor of independent news portal Newsclick, has been arrested and, despite being imprisoned for nearly six months, is yet to be served a charge-sheet.

Others have been incarcerated even longer, such as those arrested in the Bhima-Koregaon case who (with the exception of those the courts have released on bail on medical or technical-legal grounds) have been languishing in prison for over five years without trial. 

Many accused in the Delhi riots case have been in prison for over three years without trial — and often without complete charge sheets brought against them, highlights the letter.

Prominent signatories to the letter include Amitav Ghosh, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Sheldon Pollock, and David Shulman, and the letter explains why the current situation amounts to undermining the Constitution and overturning the structures of democracy.

“India has long been admired internationally as an exemplary democracy, and the largest in the world. Any abridgement of democracy in India is tragic, not only for the people of India, but for all of humanity,” reads the letter.

In his separate statement, Sen writes, “I must also strongly express my sense of indignation at this basic violation of human freedom in my own country, whose claim to being a democracy is strongly negated by such practice.

“There are, of course, many other unjust uses of compelling law that continue in India, despite our hope of building a fairly governed country, but imprisonment without trial and without fairness in the treatment of human beings is certainly among the worst injustices that the country has made into a regular arrangement. We should very much hope that the judicial system of India will have the good sense to eliminate barbarities of this kind.”