According to
V-Dem Institute laws on sedition, defamation, and counterterrorism are used to silence critics,[5] and describes India as "one of the worst
autocratisers in the last 10 years".[6] Free political speech is limited.[7]Gerrymandering is another challenge to democracy in India.[8][9]
Early
Shakyas,
Koliyas,
Mallakas, and
Licchavis claim assemblies open to all men, rich and poor,[10] which could be considered a form of
direct democracy. Other
saṅghas and
gaṇas had councils of unelected nobles, which don't meet the standards of democracy. Greek historian
Diodorus writes two centuries after the time of
Alexander the Great about democratic states in India,[11] but lacks evidence for elections considering the word "democracy" around the 3rd century BCE could mean any autonomous state.[12][13] Later in 10th century the election of local representatives for the village bodies during the
Chola Empire is claimed in
Vaikunda Perumal Temple's inscriptions.[14][15][16]
^R., Nagaswamy (2003). Uttaramerur. Chennai: Tamil Arts Academy. pp. 12–16.
^Padmaja, T. (7 March 2024). Temples of Kr̥ṣṇa in South India: History, Art, and Traditions in Tamilnāḍu. Abhinav Publications. p. 88.
ISBN9788170173984.