This article is from the Economist. Here is an excerpt:

Most democracies would struggle to match the productivity of India’s Parliament. During its “monsoon” session, which ended on August 11th, a score of bills covering everything from coconuts to bankruptcy have passed the upper or lower house, or both.

Alas, the reason why laws pass so easily is far from benign. Under Narendra Modi, the prime minister since 2014, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) has eroded many of the checks and balances that underpin true democracy. Elections themselves are largely free and fair. But defamation laws are abused to hound critics. Political opponents are intimidated and even imprisoned. Over 7,000 Indians have been charged with sedition under the bjp, casting a chill on civil society. In a scandal that would topple any accountable government, a global investigation by a group of newspapers and ngos suggests that Mr Modi’s government has slipped Israeli eavesdropping software called Pegasus into the mobile phones of hundreds of Indians, including opposition leaders, journalists, a former top election official and senior civil servants. As yet, it has faced no serious consequences for an act which, if proven, would no doubt be illegal as well as illiberal.

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