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’We have no affiliation with any political party and are, instead,committed to the values enshrined in the Constitution and thejudicial process that is protected by it.’Almost 25 years into the 21st century, as India, the world’s largest democracy,heads into its 18th general election, the country’s political and social landscapeis darkened by the looming shadow of authoritarianism and illiberalism.Standing against this dark tide is the Indian Constitution, with its pledge ofequal citizenship to people of every faith, caste, class, gender, language andethnicity. It is this pledge that the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG)-acollective of retired civil servants with decades of experience in publicservice-has been trying to uphold since 2017. It does this through lettersto governments at the Centre and in the states, the judiciary, the ElectionCommission and similar institutions when they subvert or underminedemocracy, and need to be reminded of their constitutional duty.The 74 letters in this volume deal with a number of urgent issues: the politicsof communal hate and violence, failures of governance, protection of humanrights, freedom of speech and dissent, the role of the media, failures of thelegal system, electoral reform, conservation and sustainable development, andthe rights of marginalized and oppressed communities. Interspersed with theletters are clearly articulated, insightful essays on these themes by some of thecountry’s bravest and most prominent activists and public intellectuals.For the clarity and integrity with which it speaks truth to Power, demandingan unequivocal commitment to the Constitution, In Defence of the Republic is anecessary and empowering read for the Indian citizen. It is as much a manifestoof informed dissent as it is a handbook of reference on some of the mostsignificant issues in our national life today.
