It146;s never EC

Conducting elections in India is never easy. The EC has to finely balance two competing considerations: the need to ensure that elections are free and fair 8212; which involves placing restrictions on politicians 8212; and the need to ensure that governance does not come to a standstill as a result of these restrictions. The fact that the Punjab and Haryana High Court itself passed two different orders on the EC8217;s restrictions on appointments during this process, suggests that there is no easy way of determining the right balance. But clearly, in this instance, the EC seems to have misjudged.

In his remarks, however, Chautala crossed the line between legitimate criticism and ad hominem attack. He was within his rights to question the wisdom of certain decisions taken by the EC. But he had no right to conclude on the basis of those decisions that the EC was politically biased and was acting at the behest of the Congress party. This is a grievous charge that ought not to be made lightly and without evidence. It reflects badly on Indian democracy. If these sort of charges become more frequent, conducting impartial elections will become an even more difficult task than it is at present. No democratic society can function if there is constant tension between non-elected statutory bodies and elected officials. The current fracas between the EC and Chautala suggests this lesson. The EC should exercise better administrative judgment, and politicians should exercise restraint in levelling baseless accusations. We need conventions of self-restraint on both sides.

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