Only 19 countries in the world are full democracies at present, according to a report sourced to the Intelligence Unit of The Economist, an English-language weekly magazine-format newspaper, founded by James Wilson (1805-1860) in 1843. Democracy Index, brought out annually by its editorial group with office in London looks at Governments around the world and tracks elections, politics, culture and civil rights. This year’s report concluded that nearly a third of the global population live under authoritarian rule, with Norway ranked as the most democratic nation and Western Europe accounts for 14 of the 19 full democracies. India doesn’t figure in the list of top ten democracies, according to the Index, noting that overall, across the world, the sad reality is that democratic norms are slipping, adding that the things that are being affected include declining trust in institutions, erosion of civil liberties and curbs on freedom of speech. This view matches the ongoing exchanges between India’s veteran corporate and the top brass in the Central Government, with the former reportedly making the statement that India Inc is afraid to criticise the Government kicking up a storm, several senior Ministers accusing the corporate of weaving fake narratives and hurling invectives.
The State in many countries, including India, plays a prominent role in curtailing freedom of the media and of expression. Governments in democratic as well as authoritarian countries are promulgating defamation and sedition laws, prevention of terrorism laws, blasphemy and hate-speech laws to curb freedom of expression and stymie media freedom. Many analysts have hinted that such features apply to India in considerable measure.
