The pandemic has changed the world: both for better and worse. However, in case of democratic values the world has witnessed decline during the last year. Authoritarian regimes have used this pandemic as a tool to curb basic human freedoms and to increase their foothold in their countries. It has particularly affected the democratic nature of governance. A recent report, Freedom in the World 2021 by a US-based think tank highlights that the democratic decline has now assumed global nature in the aftermath of the pandemic. [1]It states that 75 percent population of the world now lives under circumstances facing deteriorating democratic conditions.[2] India’s ranking has declined in the report as compared to last year. It has fallen from “Free” to “Partly Free”[3] in the recent Freedom in the World report. It came out as a big surprise for many who considered India as one of the most populous and flourishing democracies across the globe.
