ABSTRACT
The Indian Army is the largest volunteer army in the world. India is the world’s most populous society as well as the world’s largest developing country with a democratic system. Surrounded by military-dominated and non-democratic states, it represents one of the most interesting cases of firm, stable and authoritative civilian control of the military. It is remarkable that the appalling problems of low economic development, sharp differences in income, mass poverty, over-population, illiteracy, ethnic antagonism, absence of any linguistic unity, cultural fragmentation, social diversities and a complex class system do not seem to hinder civilian control of the Indian military. The two neighbors of India – Pakistan and Bangladesh – are comparable or closely matched to her in a number of ways yet display divergent patterns of civil-military relations.1
