centuries, fore-closed the horizons of vast numbers of our compatriots - the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in particular. In a democracy, good governance requires that each of its three pillars, 2.8 the Legislature, the. Executive and the Judiciary function with competence and integrity, watched - over by a free and independent press. When any of the pillars shows weakness, or a toss of integrity, a disproportionate burden falls on the others, leading to excesses that negatively affect the fine balance of the Constitution and the equilibrium of democracy itself, including the manner in which the rights of its citizens are respected. In recent years, there has been growing concern in the country that the 2.9 processes of governance have, on occasion, been corroded by a nexus between criminals, less than scrupulous political elements and members of the executive lacking in integiity. The deleterious effects on human rights resulting from such a nexus can be gauged from the nature of the petitions received by this Commission, many of which complain of violations because the supposed protectors of rights have themselves turned predators. It is because of such complaints that the Commission felt compelled to call for systemic reforms in the police, designed to insulate its investigative work from extraneous influences that would othewise destroy its integrity. Good governance has other attributes too. True democracy is built on restraint, on the exercise of moderation, both by the majority and by minority groups. When such restraint snaps and society yields to ethnic, religious and caste "entrepreneurs" who garner support for opportunistic ends even at the cost of inciting violence against those belonging to other groups, the citizens of this country pay the price in the destruction of their right to life and in assaults on the dignity and worth of the human person. This has occurred too often since Independence, in disparate States at disparate times. But it is .time that the. leadership of this naticn unitedly turned away from the politics of expedience, and established clear Codes of Conduct to govern their behaviour. In this fiftieth year of Independence, the Commission recommends that the holding of a wellstructured All-Party discussion on this subject could be a notable contribution to the observances being planned for this commemorative year. 2.10 At a deeper, societal level, the Commission has noted the tenacity of long2 standing social attitudes inimical to a proper respect for the rights of all of the people of this country. Whether for reasons supposedly of religion, or of custom, these prejudices have not yielded, despite volumes of legislation. The Commission has