# Constitutional state at risk as Jekyll and Hyde divide grows 2026-08-09T11:48:44+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Hindu's Frontline argues that India's constitutional state increasingly resembles Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde, with the government maintaining a ceremonial devotion to the Constitution while acting in ways that are impatient with dissent and selectively apply the law. It cites preventive detention, prolonged internet shutdowns, and extraordinary laws against students and comedians as examples where exceptional powers become ordinary tools. The piece criticises the delay in restoring full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, calling federalism a structural commitment rather than an administrative arrangement. It contends that elections decide who governs, but the treatment of dissent reveals how they govern. ## Coverage - frontline.thehindu.com Tags: civil liberties, Constitutional morality, federalism, Jammu and Kashmir Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/constitutional-state-at-risk-as-jekyll-and-hyde-divide-grows/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/constitutional-state-at-risk-as-jekyll-and-hyde-divide-grows/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.