India, March 28 -- In his latest book, Gautam Bhatia takes us on an illuminating journey into the history, text, design and power map of the Indian Constitution, which has been moulded, at different points, by the judiciary. Shorn of veneration or awe, it analyses the Constitution through the lens of power. It is from this vantage point that the author studies the developments between 2019 and 2024 including the removal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the toppling of state governments under opposition rule, the mass expulsion of Members of Parliament and the use of the Enforcement Directorate and the UAPA to quell dissent. He then concludes that these are not sudden aberrations.

Bhatia's core arguments rest on the following p...