Anatomy of Democratic Unmaking: An Open Letter on India’s Transparency, Human Rights, and Accountability Crises

Submitted by activists, whistleblowers, and citizens associated with Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA), this appeal documents a systematic regression in transparency, accountability, civic space, and human-rights protections in India from 2014 to 2025 under successive BJP-led governments. Key manifestations include: declining global rankings on corruption (CPI 96/180 in 2024), press freedom (151/180 in 2025), and rule-of-law indices; erosion of the RTI Act through 2019 amendments, administrative obstruction, and violence against over 100 RTI activists; the impending GANHRI downgrade of the NHRC from “A” to “B” due to executive capture and neglect of systemic violations, exemplified by its handling of the opaque DHFL insolvency harming lakhs of small depositors; electoral-finance opacity via Electoral Bonds and post-2024 anonymous channels; credible allegations of large-scale voter deletions and manipulations (2024–2025); shrinking civic space through UAPA, sedition, PMLA, FCRA, and SLAPP suits; pervasive surveillance (Pegasus, Aadhaar profiling, Sanchar Saathi) with weak data-protection safeguards; and deepening crony-capitalist capture of media, regulators, and public assets. Petitioners urge OHCHR, Amnesty International, HRW, Transparency International, and allied bodies to monitor, investigate, report, provide technical support, protect defenders, and press for urgent reforms to halt India’s slide toward electoral autocracy and restore constitutional guarantees of transparency, accountability, and human rights.