Chapter Two

Statecraft

The Art, Science, and Illusion of Governing 2.4 Billion People

During my family’s annual visits with my parents in New Delhi, the moment would invariably come when my father would sigh deeply, turn to me, and begin a conversation about his dreaded “court kacheri.” Kacheri means “court” in Hindi, and the term “court kacheri” means “hassles of the court.” India’s high courts, the highest judicial bodies in individual states, are in a perpetual state of crisis. So paranoid are most Indian citizens about court kacheri that they will go to any lengths to avoid formal litigation, even when they clearly are on the right side of the law.

Not my father. An honest man, he believes that justice is possible, even in India’s high courts. ...

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