Two revelations have jolted the Indian establishment. Former Supreme Court Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul alleges in his memoir that former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was too deferential to the Modi government, even withdrawing cases that questioned the executive's delay in judicial appointments. That is a polite way to say he was compromised and in turn compromised the judiciary. An Indian Express report exposed how two Election Commissioners (a majority) were bypassed during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Why the surprise? For twelve years the Modi-Shah-Doval nexus has left breadcrumbs mapping a creeping, hostile takeover of the republic.

The blueprint was written in the blood and silence of the Judge BH Loya case. In 2014 the judge hearing the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, which implicated Amit Shah, died in suspicious circumstances. Whistleblowers revealed heavy pressure and bribery attempts from within the higher judiciary. The institutional burial of the case warned every courtroom in the country. It proved the state machinery would now whitewash street thugs, while institutional bigwigs eagerly sold their constitutional mandates for a few creature comforts. Whether a post-retirement Rajya Sabha seat for a compliant Chief Justice (Ranjan Gogoi), or a lucrative corner plot for a former Army Chief (VK Singh) who would practically drive his institution into the ruling party's lap to become a junior minister, the price of subverting a democracy was cheap. These fragile egos sold themselves for pennies on the pound.

Once the judiciary was tamed, the rot spread through the hard power structures. As early as 2015, prosecutor Rohini........

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