Empowering EC

The Supreme Court may have opened a Pandora’s box while calling for a transparent mechanism in the appointment of election commissioners. The appointments of governors, vigilance commissioner and other constitutional posts needs to be revisited. The efficacy of the Election Commission is not merely confined to the transparent mechanism of appointments. The EC remains a toothless tiger. The apex electoral body should be vested with more powers to deregister parties, freeze banks accounts and action against hate speeches. At present, courts take years to decide on cases registered by the EC, resulting in delayed justice. This puts a question mark on the poll watchdog’s efficiency during the election process.

Anil Vinayak

Amritsar