Freebies are fiscal poison

The Supreme Court’s recent observations on electoral freebies come at a critical moment for Indian democracy.

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Questioning whether indiscriminate subsidies and cash transfers amount to appeasement, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant warned that such practices threaten fiscal stability and national development. The Court's intervention serves as a crucial reminder that democracy is undermined when public ‘unds are deployed as electoral bait. For an election to be meaningful, citizens must vote freely and fairly, based on informed choice, not financial inducement. Yet, India’s electoral landscape has drifted from manifesto-driven governance toward competitive populism, with direct benefit transfers timed suspiciously close to polling dates.