Justice Dipankar Datta didn't mince words. He pointed out how political parties repeatedly field candidates with criminal cases; not despite it, but because of it. And how, for over 70 years, governments have quietly guarded control over the Election Commission, the very body meant to keep elections fair. He reminded us of Ambedkar’s warning; that democracy can survive only if those in power practice ‘constitutional morality’. Not just follow rules, but respect the spirit behind them. The irony? Ambedkar trusted India’s leaders to act with integrity. Today, the Court is forced to ask if that trust has been broken. This isn’t about any one party. It’s about whether the system itself is getting hollowed out; where election rules are shaped by those who stand to win from them. If the guardians of democracy become its instruments… what’s left to protect us? The court may not strike down the law tomorrow. But this judge has lit a mirror; and it’s reflecting something we’ve all been avoiding.