Regulators, Commissions and Appointed Bodies
33.1Scope
Regulators, commissions, universities and cultural bodies.1
The arena is measured by 103 central appointed bodies and 97 state bodies, each coded by who controls its leadership.
Principal evidence: Control of 103 appointed Union bodies (M8).
33.2Significance
Rulings, reports, curricula, licences. Borrowed power that leaves when the BJP leaves office.
33.3Indicators and weights
Table 33.1 lists the 2 indicators of the arena, the weight of each within the arena, and each indicator’s reading (the Hindutva-aligned share, from 0 to 100).
Table 33.1. Indicators of arena 7.5
| Indicator | Weight | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Central appointed bodies (102)2 | 0.75 | 76.5 |
| State bodies (97, in 12 states)3 | 0.25 | 45.4 |
| Arena reading | 1.00 | 65.7 |
33.4Reading
The arena reads 65.7, 15.7 points above parity, and is classified as aligned majority (a reading of 60 or above). With a weight of 1 of a total 107.7, it contributes 0.61 points to the composite reading of 45.7.
The indicators diverge: the highest reading is for central appointed bodies (102) (76.5), the lowest for state bodies (97, in 12 states) (45.4).
Each bar divides the indicator between Hindutva-aligned (left) and opposed (right) holdings. The vertical rule marks parity.
33.5Measures and exhibits
The exhibits below are the Atlas’s own views of the data behind each measure: shares by side, the largest units, breakdowns by source, recipient and country, money-flow diagrams and time series. Full row-level ledgers are in the data file (Appendix D).
Measure 1. Central appointed bodies (102)
Reading 76.5%
69 of 103 central bodies held under strict labels.
Data table
| Hindutva-held | Opposed-held | Technocratic | Contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 73.6 | 22.6 |
| 2005 | 1.6 | 8.1 | 66.1 | 24.2 |
| 2006 | 1.5 | 9.1 | 65.2 | 24.2 |
| 2007 | 0 | 13 | 66.7 | 20.3 |
| 2008 | 0 | 13.9 | 70.8 | 15.3 |
| 2009 | 0 | 11 | 71.2 | 17.8 |
| 2010 | 0 | 10.3 | 73.1 | 16.7 |
| 2011 | 0 | 7.4 | 70.4 | 22.2 |
| 2012 | 0 | 6.2 | 70 | 23.8 |
| 2013 | 0 | 6.2 | 73.8 | 20 |
| 2014 | 0 | 3.7 | 77.8 | 18.5 |
| 2015 | 7.4 | 2.5 | 71.6 | 18.5 |
| 2016 | 5.9 | 2.4 | 69.4 | 22.4 |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | 65.1 | 27.9 |
| 2018 | 5.4 | 0 | 60.9 | 33.7 |
| 2019 | 7.4 | 0 | 55.3 | 37.2 |
| 2020 | 8.4 | 0 | 60 | 31.6 |
| 2021 | 7.4 | 0 | 64.2 | 28.4 |
| 2022 | 8.2 | 0 | 66.3 | 25.5 |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 64 | 27 |
| 2024 | 8.1 | 0 | 61.6 | 30.3 |
| 2025 | 7.9 | 0 | 62.4 | 29.7 |
| 2026 | 5.1 | 0 | 61.2 | 33.7 |
| Body | Type | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Law Commission of India (18th-23rd) | executive (non-statutory) comm | Technocratic |
| Chief Economic Adviser (Ministry of Finance) | executive advisory office | Technocratic |
| NITI Aayog (Vice-Chairperson, CEO, full-time members) | executive think tank (resoluti | Technocratic |
| National Statistical Commission (Chair + part-time members) | executive (non-statutory; 2005 | Technocratic |
| National School of Drama | cultural_academy | Contested |
| National Gallery of Modern Art | cultural_academy | Technocratic |
| Film and Television Institute of India | film_body | Technocratic |
| Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute | film_body | Contested |
| National Film Development Corporation | film_body | Contested |
| Sangeet Natak Akademi | cultural_academy | Technocratic |
| Indian Council of Social Science Research | research_council | Technocratic |
| Indian Council of Historical Research | research_council | Contested |
| Nehru Memorial Museum & Library / Prime Ministers Museum & L | cultural_academy | Contested |
| Archaeological Survey of India (Director General) | cultural_academy | Technocratic |
| Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla | research_council | Technocratic |
| Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts | cultural_academy | Contested |
| Lalit Kala Akademi | cultural_academy | Technocratic |
| Sahitya Akademi | cultural_academy | Contested |
| National Book Trust | cultural_academy | Technocratic |
| Pondicherry University - Vice-Chancellor | university | Technocratic |
| University of Allahabad - Vice-Chancellor | university | Technocratic |
| Maulana Azad National Urdu University - Vice-Chancellor | university | Technocratic |
| Central University of Kerala - Vice-Chancellor | university | Technocratic |
| Central University of Kashmir - Vice-Chancellor | university | Technocratic |
| Tezpur University - Vice-Chancellor | university | Contested |
| North-Eastern Hill University - Vice-Chancellor | university | Technocratic |
| Indian Council of Agricultural Research (DG = Secretary DARE | research_council | Technocratic |
| Jawaharlal Nehru University - Vice-Chancellor | university | Hindutva-aligned |
| Jamia Millia Islamia - Vice-Chancellor | university | Contested |
| Aligarh Muslim University - Vice-Chancellor | university | Contested |
| First 30 of 40 rows; all rows are in the data file (Appendix D). | ||
Data table
| number of bodies | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Hindutva-aligned | 68 | 66.7% |
| Opposed | 33 | 32.4% |
| Transactional | 0 | 0.0% |
| Neutral / not counted | 1 | 1.0% |
Data table
| number of bodies | Side | |
|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces Tribunal (Chairperson) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Attorney General of India | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| All India Council for Technical Education | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| All India Radio / Akashvani (Director General) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Chief of the Army Staff | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Archaeological Survey of India (Director General) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Cabinet Secretary | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Comptroller and Auditor General of India | 1 | Opposed |
| Central Administrative Tribunal (Chairman) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Central Board of Direct Taxes (Chairman) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Central Board of Film Certification | 1 | Opposed |
| Central Bureau of Investigation (Director) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Central Board of Secondary Education | 1 | Opposed |
| Competition Commission of India (Chair + members) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Chief of Defence Staff (Secretary, Dept of Military Affairs) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
Measure 2. State bodies (97, in 12 states)
Reading 45.4%
Minorities, women’s, information and public service commissions, akademis and chancellors in 12 states.
Data table
| number of bodies | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Hindutva-aligned | 44 | 44.0% |
| Opposed | 53 | 53.0% |
| Transactional | 0 | 0.0% |
| Neutral / not counted | 3 | 3.0% |
Data table
| number of bodies | Side | |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission | 1 | Opposed |
| Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Women | 1 | Opposed |
| Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission | 1 | Opposed |
| Andhra Pradesh State Information Commission (State Chief Information Commissioner) | 1 | Neutral / not counted |
| Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Commission | 1 | Opposed |
| Delhi Commission for Women | 1 | Opposed |
| Delhi State Minorities Commission | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Gujarat Public Service Commission | 1 | Opposed |
| Gujarat State Human Rights Commission | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Gujarat State Information Commission (State Chief Information Commissioner) | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Governor/LG of Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | Opposed |
| Governor/LG of Andhra Pradesh | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Governor/LG of Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Governor/LG of Assam | 1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Governor/LG of Bihar | 1 | Opposed |
Measure 3. Trust in the vote: elections seen as free and fair, and the court record on “vote chori”
Reading 53.5%
Trust the vote 53 vs Do not 47
Measure 4. Context: shown for reference, not part of the reading
Data table
| Trust the vote | Do not | Trust the vote share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 53.5 | 46.5 | 53.5% |
33.6Evidence base
The arena rests on 213 coded units. Of the units and flows, 117 are coded Hindutva-aligned, 92 opposed and 4 neutral, mixed or transactional. By source grade: 114 grade A, 99 grade C.
The full set of rows for this arena, each with its source, is in the Atlas data file (Appendix D).