India is still in the West's good graces has nothing to do with India being clever or democratic or being friendly. India simply is a failure from the eyes of the West that the West doesn't feel threatened by India from politically, economically, or militarily.
In addition, the West needs India to counterweight China so it has given India some slack. Just remember that Modi was sanctioned by the West not many years ago. The West was trying to explore vulnerabilities within India until the rise of China. MSM can attack India anytime if it got the get-go from the Western powers. From caste system, human rights, religious freedom, genocides, women rights, and child labors, the list can go on and on as the MSM has delicately complied a list of Indian shortcomings and have little by little fed to their general population and to the world.
In addition, I would like to point. China was treated also very softly from the West from late 70s, 80s(even after 6/4), 90s, and even 00s. It is until China has become too powerful and too advanced that the West finally can't take it anymore. But even then, the West offered China a way out that is China to give up any ambitions of high tech and forever become a low cost manufacturing bases for the West. If China agreeed with such proposal, then the West would allow China to prosper and not sanctions. That is the proposal that Trump and neoconservatives and neoliberals offer China because China without advanced technology would be a slave to the West and can be controlled.
So it is just illusion to think India was given slack due to its being a democrat and softness. India didn't get the China's treatment only because it failed to make much of progress and pose no threat to the international liberal orders and the Western hegemony.