oppn parties The Election Commission Must Not Only Be Neutral But It Must Also Be Seen to Be Neutral

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October 17, 2026

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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The Election Commission Must Not Only Be Neutral But It Must Also Be Seen to Be Neutral

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2026-05-15 07:09:54

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

The Supreme Court is absolutely right in saying that the current set-up to select the CEC and ECs is biased as it consists of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and a cabinet minister. The court said that no minister would oppose the Prime Minister, giving the government a 2-1 edge to put its chosen men in the seat.

Calling the process a mere "show of independence" rather than genuine independence in appointment, the court has rightly pushed for a neutral member on the panel. It also pointed out that the selection panel for the CBI chief included the CJI in addition to the Prime Minister and the LoP - why couldn't the same apply in the case of the CEC and ECs?

This is a recurring problem which needs a permanent solution. As the court rightly said, the Election Commission must not only act neutral but also appear neutral. The government had passed the CEC and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Terms of Office) Act precisely to circumvent the Supreme Court's earlier direction that these appointments be made by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, the CJI and the LoP. The Act was passed to go around that order.

The Election Commission is a constitutional body. Its independence is paramount, as it conducts elections that can change the fate of the nation. If the executive is allowed to fill it with its chosen appointees who will then do its bidding, the entire process is vitiated. Even if the EC performs its duties honestly, the tag of government-sponsored officers will always stick, making their conduct suspect.

Ultimately, this is about the credibility of the electoral process itself. An Election Commission perceived as the government's instrument does not merely damage its own reputation - it damages faith in every election it conducts. India's democracy has survived because its institutions, however imperfect, were broadly trusted. That trust, once broken, is not easily rebuilt. The government would do well to remember that the EC's independence protects not just the opposition, but the ruling party too - on the day it is no longer the ruling party.

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