Why all Indians are rule-breakers
Because the state makes it impossible not to be
IF YOU HAVE ever relaxed with a cold Kingfisher beer at the end of a long, sweaty day in Mumbai, the party capital of India, you have almost certainly broken the law. Specifically, you violated section 40 of the Bombay Prohibition Act of 1949, under which you must hold a permit to drink booze. A first offence is punishable by a fine of 10,000 rupees ($115) and up to six months in prison.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Discipline and punish”
From the July 5th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
Is Thailand heading for another coup?
The generals would be mad to try
Australia’s mushroom murderess is found guilty
The trial, with a plot stranger than detective fiction, has gripped the country
The Economist is hiring a Seoul-based researcher/reporter
We’re looking for a fluent speaker of Korean and English
Central Asia still has a complex relationship with Russia
But countries know their neighbour is a crucial partner
Welcome to North Korea’s Benidorm
The hermit kingdom’s new resort is for its own enjoyment, not foreigners’
Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended
And conservatives forces are circling her populist movement