In the architecture of any functioning democracy, the written word – its Constitution, statutes, regulations – forms the visible scaffolding. But beneath this scaffolding lies an equally important, though often invisible, foundation: the accumulation of conventions, norms, and practices that give meaning to the letter of the law.

These conventions are not ornamental niceties; they are oxygen for a democratic polity that seeks to rise above the transactional. Their erosion need not be dramatic to be consequential. Sometimes, all it takes is a series of small breaches, seemingly justified in the moment, to undermine the moral grammar of governance.

Two recent episodes have brought this uncomfortable truth back to the fore. First, the absence of Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), from the swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant Mishra. Second, the non-invitation of Gandhi—again, as LoP—to the state banquet hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the visiting Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Both events, in isolation, might appear minor. But when viewed through the lens of democratic convention, they invite serious reflection.

The LoP is not merely the leader of a political party. He or she is a constitutional figure, recognised in law and in parliamentary practice as an essential pillar of the democratic equilibrium. In mature parliamentary systems, the LoP is often described as a........

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