9

Court-Led Development of Participatory Democracy

Leah Verghese and Prashanto Sen

Introduction

Representative democracy in India relies on the active participation of citizens in the electoral process and policymaking. The Supreme Court of India has played a pivotal role in expanding democratic participation through landmark decisions regarding voter information, electoral transparency, and public accountability.

This chapter examines key constitutional interventions where the Court has bolstered participatory democracy by recognizing the right to know as an integral component of freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).