Criminalisation of Indian Politics : The Erosion of Democracy and Rule of Law

The phenomenon of criminalisation in Indian polity has attained a lamentable prominence, whereby individuals reputed for ignoble and illicit pursuits infiltrate legislative assemblies and electoral offices. This scholarly treatise endeavours to delineate the multifarious causations, deleterious ramifications, and prospective rectifications pertaining thereto. Through an erudite exposition, the paper explicates how the amalgamation of pecuniary influence, muscle power, judicial inertia, and socio-political complicities engender a polity increasingly impervious to moral suasion. The ramifications upon democratic ethics, governance efficacy, and public trust are scrutinised, followed by an appraisal of juridical and constitutional interventions with a view to restore probity and sanctity within the Indian democratic framework.