Are you a criminal? In India, you might be if your dog misses its walk, you fail to paint a number on your boat, or you fly a kite that “might cause alarm.”
https://thewire.in/law/a-licence-to-punish-how-7300-crimes-make-criminals-of-us-all
These are not jokes. A new study by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, titled ‘The State of the System,’ found they are actual crimes, buried in India’s tangled laws. The report reveals a state that inherited its colonial predecessor’s instinct to control and command. For many, the law is now a source of fear, not a guarantee of freedom.
The report’s details read like a theatre of the absurd, where punishment has no relation to the crime.
Consider this: rioting can land you in prison for two years. But making a false statement on a birth certificate can get you three.
This legal overreach is not just academic. It does real harm. It creates a climate of fear that undermines the government’s goal of “ease of living.” A simple failure to answer a town notice can lead to criminal charges.
For small businesses, this legal minefield is a death knell to “ease of doing business.” Hundreds of rules criminalise minor mistakes – late paperwork, small accounting errors, or “obstructing” an inspector. Entrepreneurs must spend time and money avoiding prosecution instead of innovating and creating jobs.
The justice system pays the final price. With 34.6 million criminal cases pending and prisons at 131% capacity, the system is breaking. By clogging it with trivial offences, the state ensures that real justice is neither swift nor certain.
by Pavan Korada
17/07/2025