India's democracy score hits 50-year low, UN body flags rights concerns

India's democratic health has registered its weakest performance in half a century, according to the latest assessment by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg. The institute's electoral democracy index, released in March, places India's current score at its lowest point since 1975, a year marked by the declaration of the Emergency.

The decline, which has been gradual since 2009, is attributed to a systematic weakening of democratic institutions. Key indicators such as judicial accountability, the autonomy of the Election Management Body, and the impartiality of public administration have all fallen to their lowest levels in 50 years.

The V-Dem findings align with concerns raised last week by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). In its first review of India since 2007, the committee said it was "gravely concerned" about reports of large-scale violations by law enforcement officials. It also flagged the exclusion of a significant number of voters, particularly Muslims, during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The erosion of institutional independence, as tracked by V-Dem, has coincided with a deterioration in academic freedom and cultural expression. The report notes a decline in the freedom to research and teach, alongside growing harassment of journalists. These trends point to a broader constriction of civic space and independent oversight.