Counterview

By Rajabhishek Dey*  Institutions need ideals to give their work meaning. But when institutional prestige becomes a substitute for accountability, the ideal can become an excuse for protecting the institution rather than serving the people within it.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan  India’s elections are contested on the basis of parties, candidates, leaders, local issues, and national narratives. While voters may have diverse reasons for choosing a candidate, the winning representative enters the legislature under the identity of the party on whose ticket the election was fought. A recent analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch highlights how frequently this political identity changes post-election. 

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is a cornerstone of Indian democracy. Recent developments, however, have raised serious concerns about the ECI's independence and its ability to conduct free and fair elections. The actions of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, in particular, have prompted a critical debate about the institution's autonomy and its role in upholding democratic principles.

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  A new political controversy has emerged in India following a report about differences within the Election Commission of India between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two other Election Commissioners. According to the report, the two Election Commissioners have raised questions about the addition, deletion and restoration of names on electoral rolls, changes to Form 6, and the management of voter data. They have also expressed concerns about the centralisation of voter data and election software.

By Anand Mazgoankar*  Mr. Gyanesh Kumar is being absolutely fair and rational in refusing to resign. One only hopes he doesn’t suddenly look into the mirror, develop pangs of conscience, wake up to morality or Constitutional propriety, and—God forbid—succumb to the mounting pressure.

By N.S. Venkataraman*  Trustee, Nandini Voice for the Deprived When the Election Commission of India launched the voter-verification exercise known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it could reasonably be argued that the Commission was justified in undertaking this nationwide exercise. A comprehensive revision of electoral rolls is an important responsibility of the Election Commission, particularly when the objective is to ensure that genuine and eligible voters are able to exercise their franchise in a free and fair election.

Counterview News  In what has been interpreted as a landmark victory for grassroots environmental justice, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the Miraj Sub-Division in Sangli district has ordered the temporary shutdown of the 10 MW Bhumi Green Energy Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration plant in Tung village . The administrative action is said to have followed sustained community protests and a damning joint fact-finding report by the Paryavaran Rakshan Samiti Sangli , the National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice (NACEJ), and the Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA). 

By A Representative   A group of former civil servants, organised as the Constitutional Conduct Group, has issued an open letter to the Government of India expressing concern over the erosion of rights of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers in Odisha. The group, which describes itself as having no political affiliation, said Odisha has the fourth largest forest cover in India and the third largest Scheduled Tribe population, and alleged that large tracts of tribal-inhabited forests are being surrendered to mining and industrial projects, reducing both the forests and the communities dependent on them to distress.

By Dr. Palla Trinadha Rao*  For nearly a century, a quiet legal promise has stood between tribal communities in the hill tracts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the ordinary machinery of Indian civil law: disputes concerning their land would not simply be decided through legal institutions designed without regard to their particular vulnerability.