Ways in which a king can annoy his citizens and make them rebellious - from 'Arthashastra'

Image Source - Google

Impoverishment, greed and dissatisfaction are engendered among the subjects when the king:

i)    ignores the good [people] and favours the wicked;
ii)    causes harm by new unrighteous practices;
iii)    neglects the observation of the proper and righteous practices;
iv)    suppresses dharma and propagates adharma;
v)    does what ought not to be done and fails to do what ought to be done;
vi)    fails to give what ought to be given and exacts what he cannot rightly take;
vii)    does not punish those who ought to be punished but punishes those who do not deserve to be;
viii)    arrests those who should not be arrested by fails to arrest those who should be seized;
ix)    indulges in wasteful expenditure and destroys profitable undertakings;
x)    fails to protect the people from thieves and robs them himself;
xi)    does not to what he ought to do and reviles the work done by others;
xii)    causes harm to the leaders of the people and insults those worthy of honour;
xiii)    antagonizes the [wise] elders by lying and mischief;
xiv)    does not recompense service done to him;
xv)    does not carry out his part of what had been agreed upon; and
xvi)    by his indolence and negligence destroys the welfare of his people.

-    by Kautilya in 'Arthashastra'