UPSC Essentials | Mains Answer Practice GS 2 : geopolitical instability in West Asia and process for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (Week 145)

QUESTION 2

Discuss the constitutional provisions and legal process for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.

QUESTION 1: How can geopolitical instability in West Asia, particularly involving Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, affect global supply chains and industrial prices beyond crude oil? What are its potential economic implications for India?

Relevance: The Strait of Hormuz handles a major share of global oil and petrochemical trade; conflicts involving Iran can disrupt supply chains and raise industrial input prices. India, heavily dependent on West Asian energy imports, faces risks to energy security, trade balance, and manufacturing costs.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— As the conflict in West Asia pushes up energy and commodity prices, its ripple effects are beginning to spread far beyond oil and gas, with sectors such as textiles, mining and steelmaking in India starting to feel the pressure.

— The impact is emerging through a chain of second- and third-order effects linked to fuel costs, petrochemicals, feedstock, chemicals, and disruptions in global shipping routes along the Strait of Hormuz.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— The West Asia conflict has set off a structural repricing across global chemical markets. As many as 73 commodities spiked in a single week: some by over 60% as Hormuz disruptions choked the naphtha feedstock flows that Asian steam crackers depend on for 60–80% of their supply.

— India is among the most exposed. “Structurally import-dependent on West Asia for crude oil (50%+), LNG (50–55%), ethylene glycol, polymers, methanol, and fertilisers, India faces a compounding cost shock, worsened by the Rupee already at Rs 92 to the US Dollar. The market has not fully priced a prolonged disruption to shipping routes along the Strait of Hormuz.

Impact on Textile

— There are three types of impact. One is raw material supply, which is a shortage in imported raw materials, increase in shipping containers, etc. Second is market impact. After the European Union imposed restrictions like CBAM, a lot of industries started looking to West Asia as a market. Finally, the fuel and feedstock supplies which are related to natural gas and LPG supply.

— Polyester prices have already risen by around 15% he said, with a further possibility of further increases as it is derived from petrochemical feedstock. Packaging materials have emerged as another pressure point. A significant portion of textile packaging relies on plastic-based materials, whose prices have doubled in the short term for many manufacturers.

— Industry players say the bigger impact is coming through petrochemical-linked inputs. Most textile chemicals and dyes rely on petrochemical raw materials, the prices of which have increased sharply.

Impact in steel sector

— Steelmakers are also facing cost pressures due to disruptions in the supply of coking coal, a key raw material used in blast furnace-based steel production. Shipment disruptions linked to tensions and uncertainty in global trade routes have led to a surge in coking coal prices, adding to the input costs for steel producers. India’s imports of coking coal have been steadily rising, increasing from 51.20 million tonnes (mt) in 2020–21 to 57.58 mt in 2024–25. Around 95% of the steel sector’s coking coal requirement is met through imports, making the industry highly exposed to global supply disruptions.

(Source: Beyond oil, gas: Why Iran war could push up prices for many other industries in India)

Points to Ponder

Why is the Strait of Hormuz considered one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes?

Related Previous Year Question

“Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India’s foreign policy, and is linked with India’s overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries.” How would you integrate energy security with India’s foreign policy trajectories in the coming years? (2025)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the constitutional provisions and legal process for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Relevance: The Election Commission of India is central to ensuring free and fair elections in India’s democracy. The issue is relevant for GS-2 topics on constitutional bodies, democratic accountability, and institutional autonomy.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. (File Photo)

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Opposition is working on a motion to impeach Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for alleged “biased conduct”, the process that is expected to be followed will be the same as the one for removing a judge.

— Initiated by the Trinamool Congress, the Opposition has drafted the impeachment motion against Kumar and is in the process of collecting the required number of signatures from MPs, sources say.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

Process for removal of a CEC

— As per Article 324 (5) of the Constitution, the “Chief Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.” It also says that Election Commissioners can only be removed on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

— The article also states that this process is “subject to provisions of any law made by Parliament” on the matter. Following that, Parliament passed the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 in December 2023. Section 11 of the Act provides for the resignation and removal process. It sticks to the same process as mentioned in the Constitution.

— “The Chief Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court,” it says.

— The process for removing a judge of the Supreme Court is as per Article 124 of the Constitution and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Article 124 (4) says that a Supreme Court judge can be removed “by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting has been presented to the President in the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.”

Conclusion:

— As per Section 3 of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, a motion for presenting an address to the President for removal of a judge must be signed by at least 100 members in the case of the Lok Sabha or 50 members in the Rajya Sabha. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha can decide to admit or refuse the motion. In the case the motion is accepted, the Speaker or Chairman have to set up a three-member committee to investigate. The members of the committee have to include one judge of the Supreme Court, one Chief Justice of a High Court and a distinguished jurist.

— The report of the committee is then to be submitted to the Speaker or Chairman. In case the committee finds the judge guilty of misbehaviour or suffering from incapacity, the motion will be taken up by the House or Houses in which it is pending, the Act says. If passed, the address to remove the judge is sent to the President.

(Source: As Opposition plans on motion to impeach CEC Gyanesh Kumar, here is what the law says)

Points to Ponder

Why is institutional autonomy of electoral bodies crucial for maintaining free and fair elections in a democracy?

Is there a need for further reforms to enhance transparency and accountability?

Related Previous Year Questions

Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees, with particular reference to the ‘‘One Nation–One Election’’ principle. (2024)

To enhance the quality of democracy in India the Election Commission of India has proposed electoral reforms in 2016. What are the suggested reforms and how far are they significant to make democracy successful? (2017)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 145)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 143)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 143)

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