I had NEVER thought India was ever a democracy. This is not some emotional rant. Having lived a lifetime in America and Pakistan I can fairly compare repressive systems (like Pakistan and India) vs something resembling a democracy.
Change of govts through ballots is not a valid yard sticks of democracies. It takes much more than that. By every criteria India was always a communal state where the Hindu majority was biding its time to strike and strike it did! Decades of cosmetic measures like the Muslim Bollywood stars and even a Muslim President (with a peon's real authority) and similar ones could never hide the brutal massacres of Muslims and Sikhs (and less reported against lower Caste Hindus) happening throughout India's history. And I mean BIG MASSACRES!! Forget Muslims if you have an anti-Muslim leaning. Ask the Sikhs about what happened in 1984!! The massacres in India would make KKK, the Jim Crow Laws, the Lynchings in America to look like child's play.
So the Court's decision about Babri Masjid is not a surprise at all. And in the same way the Court's delaying on the verdict on the annexation of Indian Occupied Kashmir is another indication of how compliant and FAKE the mightiest Court in India really is.
India is not the world's biggest democracy. It is the world's BIGGEST HYPOCRISY!!
Your analysis is correct but conclusion is erroneous. Yes change of governments through ballots is not a valid yard stick of democracies.
If there is no mechanism in the form of functional institutions, based on principal of neutrality than the so called democracy is farce. This was very well understood by our founding fathers and they created enough safe guards in constitution.
There are article 15(1), article 30(1) and many other provisions of constitution for safe guarding the right of minorities.
Question is whether these provisions are implemented in letter and spirit. There shall always be some who will try to circumvent the constitution and will try to impose its will on people.
However, this particular aspect was also considered by Supreme Court and it was settled once for all by a judgement that basic structure of constitution can not be changed.
If you have followed the anti-CAA movement, you must have seen, most of the Muslims were protesting by reading preamble of constitution, because constitutions of India is the contract between its people and state. People will always expect State to honor the contract. If state fails to do so, then there will be chaos.
That is the reason, the present government took the route of court and didn't follow the path of legislation for Ram mandir in Ayodhya. Thus giving impression that they are following the path of constitution (no matter how farcical it looks.)
People know institutions are not always fair in their actions, but they know as long as guiding principal is just and impartial, there is a hope.
This also, solves the puzzle, "what makes Indian Muslims support India?"