Hyderabad, Jan. 28 -- In a constitutional democracy, criticism of institutions, particularly the judiciary, must be articulated with restraint, precision and fidelity to constitutional principle. Yet, restraint does not entail silence.

Certain developments, when viewed cumulatively rather than episodically, compel careful articulation, not polemically, but as principled concern. What follows is not an indictment of the institution of the judiciary, but an examination of systemic tendencies that raise troubling questions about judicial role, institutional consistency and the lived reality of constitutional guarantees.

A recent episode involving judicial disapproval of media reporting on remarks made on social media illustrates a growing ...