In India, mass movements have often collided with the state. But the protests on October 10 by the Cockroach Janta Party, and continuing protests by Opposition parties, have produced a unique deadlock. The CJP has managed to combine two sources of public anger, against the conduct of exams and the conduct of the SIR, into a singular crisis of public trust. Policy gestures alone cannot resolve this crisis of trust. The crisis of trust does not just extend to the government. It now engulfs independent institutions like the Election Commission and even the Supreme Court of India. The protest is, in part, a consequence of the Court not safeguarding the constitutive rules of democracy.

The SC can still reverse its previous rulings on the conduct of the SIR and the mode of selection of Election Commissioners, and take the sting out of the crisis. Such a reversal would be unprecedented. But it is unlikely. It will constitute a severe indictment of the Election Commission and the government. The only way these institutions will be able to recover their credibility is through resignations of the relevant officials. But historically, the SC, even when it takes corrective measures, is loath to take a strong and principled stand against the government. So, the best you can hope for is some palliative half-measures. It might allow the show to go on, but it will not address the underlying crisis of trust.

The protest movements have dented the government’s authority, lifted the pall of fear, and energised young citizens. But they collide with the reality of an immovable state. Narasimha Rao used to say the Indian........

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