India is a ‘dharma democracy’ but this doesn’t make it any less democratic or liberal: Salvatore Babones

Sociologist Salvatore Babones argues that India is best understood as a “dharma democracy” — institutionally liberal yet culturally rooted in a Hindu civilisational ethos. He challenges Western democracy rankings, claiming India scores poorly not due to institutional decay but because Indians freely criticise their own system, unlike many postcolonial states. Babones disputes the idea that India has become less democratic in recent decades, asserting that democratic consolidation has remained strong since the 1990s. He also contends that Western criticism often reflects methodological bias and discomfort with India’s religious-national character rather than genuine democratic backsliding.