{"id":67465,"date":"2026-02-24T18:36:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=67465"},"modified":"2026-02-24T18:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:06:16","slug":"eci-independence-debate-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-02-2026\/eci-independence-debate-india","title":{"rendered":"Concerns Regarding Independence of the Election Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recent controversies surrounding electoral rolls, appointment procedures, and institutional autonomy have raised concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns Regarding Election Commission<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Electoral Roll Manipulation:<\/strong> Concerns have been raised regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reports of deletion of large numbers of voters, particularly from certain regions, have sparked fears of disenfranchisement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Controversy Over Appointment Process:<\/strong> The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Office and Terms of Office) Act, 2023 altered the selection mechanism.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is argued that exclusion of the judiciary from the selection committee may increase executive influence. This issue has been challenged in court and remains a matter of constitutional debate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Article 324 of Constitution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Article 324 of the Constitution states that the Election Commission will comprise the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and such number of Election Commissioners (ECs), as the President may decide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Election Commission of India (ECI) is responsible for managing the preparation of electoral rolls and conducting elections to <strong>Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Constitution specifies that the President will appoint the CEC and ECs, subject to the provisions of an Act of Parliament.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Features of the CEs and ECs Appointment Act, 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It replaces the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Election Commission:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Election Commission will consist of a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners (ECs).\u00a0 The President will periodically fix the number of ECs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Appointment of the Commission: <\/strong>The Commission will be appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of the Selection Committee.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Selection Committee <\/strong>will comprise the Prime Minister, Cabinet Minister, and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (or leader of the single largest opposition party).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A Search Committee<\/strong> headed by the Cabinet Secretary will suggest five names to the Selection Committee.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Selection Committee may consider any person other than those suggested by the Search Committee.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Term and reappointment: <\/strong>\u00a0Members of the Election Commission will hold office for six years, or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Members of the Commission cannot be re-appointed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If an EC is appointed as a CEC, the overall period of the term may not be more than six years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Salary and pension:<\/strong> The salary, allowances, and other conditions of service of the CEC and ECs will be equivalent to that of the Cabinet Secretary.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Removal:<\/strong> The CEC may be removed in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court Judge.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ECs may be removed only upon the recommendation of the CEC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Judicial Interventions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narain (1975):<\/strong> The Supreme Court of India held that free and fair elections are part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>T. N. Seshan vs Union of India (1995):<\/strong> It validated the multi-member nature of the Commission and clarified that the CEC is \u201cfirst among equals,\u201d not an absolute authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vineet Narain vs Union of India (1997):<\/strong> It clarified procedural safeguards relating to removal and functioning of independent institutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anoop Baranwal vs Union of India (2023):<\/strong> Recommended inclusion of the Chief Justice of India in the selection committee for Election Commissioners until Parliament enacted a law.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major committees on electoral reforms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990):<\/strong> It recommended stringent steps to curb booth capturing, including deployment of central forces and provision for re-polls where malpractice occurred.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998):<\/strong> It examined the growing role of money power in elections and concluded that state funding was necessary to ensure a level playing field but such funding should be provided in kind rather than cash to prevent misuse.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The committee also suggested that only <strong>recognised national and state parties<\/strong> should be eligible for such support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Law Commission of India:<\/strong> It recommended that candidates should not be allowed to <strong>contest from more than one constituency<\/strong> to avoid unnecessary by-elections and public expenditure.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The report also <strong>emphasised the need for internal democracy <\/strong>within <strong>political parties, transparency in political funding, and reforms to reduce defections<\/strong> and instability in coalition politics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>appointment process <\/strong>of Election Commissioners should be <strong>made more broad-based <\/strong>to enhance public confidence in the Commission\u2019s neutrality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reforms in political funding, <strong>including greater disclosure of donations<\/strong>, are necessary to reduce undue influence of wealth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continued improvement in election management systems, including secure electronic processes, can increase efficiency and trust. <strong>Independent audits and verification mechanisms<\/strong> should accompany technological adoption to address public concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/on-the-independence-of-the-election-commission\/article70666857.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Recent controversies surrounding electoral rolls, appointment procedures, and institutional autonomy have raised concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI). <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Concerns Regarding Election Commission <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Electoral Roll Manipulation: Concerns have been raised regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Reports of deletion of large numbers of voters, particularly from certain regions, have sparked fears of disenfranchisement. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Controversy Over Appointment Process: The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Office and Terms of Office) Act, 2023 altered the selection mechanism. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-02-2026\/eci-independence-debate-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67465"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67467,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67465\/revisions\/67467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}