Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Selection and election: On the appointment of Election Commissioners

Selection and election: On the appointment of Election Commissioners

The Election Commission needs a selection panel free of (not subject to, not, affected by, without, devoid of, exempt from) executive bias

The quick, if not hasty (rash, reckless, impulsive), filling up of two vacancies in the Election Commission of India (ECI) has attracted (आकर्षित करना) justified (reasonable, legitimate, rational, logical, valid, well-founded, convincing, credible) criticism. The multi-member body (group, organization, association) got two new members within days of the resignation of Arun Goel, an Election Commissioner (EC) whose appointment itself came in the midst of (के बीच में) a Constitution Bench (संविधान पीठ) hearing (सुनवाई) for a truly independent (स्वतंत्र) process of selecting members of the panel that conducts and supervises India’s elections. Critics (आलोचक, समीक्षक) are not wrong when they point out (identify, draw attention to, indicate, specify, mention) that the Act (law, decree, statute) setting out the process of selecting the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECs appeared to fall short of (fail to meet/reach; be deficient/inadequate/insufficient) the sort of (to some extent, in a way, kind of, to certain degree, somewhat) independence (self-determination, autonomy, impartiality, neutrality, lack of bias, even-handedness, fairness) the Constitution Bench (a bench of two or three judges is called a division bench) verdict of March 2023 envisaged (परिकल्पना करना). The selection took place at a time when a petition (याचिका) challenging the validity of the Act was about to be taken up for hearing. To add to (increase, intensify, augment, heighten, deepen, make worse) the unfortunate set of circumstances (परिस्थिति), Mr. Goel’s resignation for “personal reasons” has gone unexplained (अस्पष्ट). It is a matter of grave concern (used to describe something that is of serious importance or requires immediate attention) that an EC whose term (अवधि) was set to go on (continue, carry on, proceed) for a few more years should choose to resign just days before the Commission finalised the Lok Sabha election schedule. It goes without saying that the discussion on the process selecting the ECs has no bearing on the competence (capability, ability, capacity, expertise, proficiency) or suitability (उपयुक्तता) of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, the two new ECs.

The real problem may lie with (be, be found, be sited, be located) the law that Parliament chose to enact last year in response to the Supreme Court of India questioning the absence of any legislation (विधान, कानून) since the inception (आरंभ) of the Constitution (body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter), as required under Article 324, laying down an appointment process for the ECs. The Court’s emphasis (importance, significance, priority, underscoring, weightage) was on the ECI’s independence from the executive (कार्यकारी) so that the elections the panel conducts are truly free and fair. Towards that end, it sought to fill the vacuum (empty space, emptiness, void, nothingness) by an interim (provisional, temporary, short-term, transitional) arrangement under which the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India (CJI) formed the selection committee to choose the CEC and ECs. However, it was meant to be in place (ready, arranged, established, set up) only until Parliament enacted a law. In response, the government enacted a law that constituted (form, create, set up, nominate, authorize) a panel comprising the Prime Minister and any Union Minister, besides (apart from, other than, barring, excluding) the Leader of the Opposition, or the leader of the largest single party in the Opposition. The question now before the Court is whether a committee in which the executive has a two-one majority can be a truly independent authority (an organization/person with administrative power and control). The argument that Prime Ministers have always been selecting the CEC and ECs seems attractive, but, ultimately (finally, in the end, eventually), an executive-driven (controlled by the executive) process has to yield (surrender, give in, submit, capitulate, accede to, defer to, comply with, agree to) to one more rooted in the constitutional principle of having an independent body to hold (conduct, organize, arrange) free and fair elections, even if the CJI, as an institutional head, might not be the person most suited to be a part of the selection process.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.the executive (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकारी
English Meaning - the executive is a branch of government that enforces the law as written by the legislature and interpreted by the judiciary.

2.attract (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आकर्षित करना
English Meaning - draw, absorb, get/gain.

3.in the midst of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के बीच में
English Meaning - in the middle of.

4.Constitution Bench (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संविधान पीठ
English Meaning - a bench of the Supreme Court having five or more judges on it. These benches are not a routine phenomenon. Constitution Benches are exceptions, set up only if some circumstances exist).

5.hearing (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सुनवाई
English Meaning - inquiry, investigation, litigation, examination, legal proceedings.

6.independent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्वतंत्र
English Meaning - freethinking, unrestrained, unrelated, unconnected, unassociated, unattached.

7.critic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आलोचक, समीक्षक
English Meaning - criticizer, censurer, castigator, attacker, fault-finder.

8.envisage (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परिकल्पना करना
English Meaning - conceive, imagine, envision, think, perceive, apprehend.

9.petition (noun)

Hindi Meaning - याचिका
English Meaning - plea, application, urgent/earnest request (a court or other government body to take a specific action or make a particular decision).

10.circumstance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिस्थिति
English Meaning - conditions, factors, situation, backdrop, background.

11.unexplained (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अस्पष्ट
English Meaning - unknown.

12.term (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अवधि
English Meaning - period of office; spell, stint, duration, incumbency.

13.suitability (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपयुक्तता
English Meaning - appropriateness, rightness, fitness, correctness, relevance, worthiness, eligibility.

14.legislation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विधान, कानून
English Meaning - law, decree, statute, rule, ordinance, act.

15.inception (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरंभ
English Meaning - beginning, start, origination, establishment, institution, foundation, formation, commencement.

16.panel (noun)

English Meaning - committee, council, commission, body, advisory group.

17.free of (adjective)

English Meaning - not subject to, not, affected by, without, devoid of, exempt from.

18.bias (noun)

English Meaning - prejudice, bigotry, partiality, unfairness, one-sidedness, leaning, inclination.

19.hasty (adjective)

English Meaning - rash, reckless, impulsive.

20.justified (adjective)

English Meaning - reasonable, legitimate, rational, logical, valid, well-founded, convincing, credible.

21.body (noun)

English Meaning - group, organization, association.

22.bench (noun)

English Meaning - a court of law with a number of judges.

23.Division Bench (noun)

English Meaning - a bench of two or three judges is called a division bench.

24.point out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - identify, draw attention to, indicate, specify, mention.

25.Act (noun)

English Meaning - law, decree, statute.

26.set out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - present, describe, state, detail, explain.

27.fall short of (phrase)

English Meaning - fail to meet/reach; be deficient/inadequate/insufficient.

28.sort of (phrase)

English Meaning - to some extent, in a way, kind of, to certain degree, somewhat.

29.independence (noun)

English Meaning - self-determination, autonomy, impartiality, neutrality, lack of bias, even-handedness, fairness.

30.take place (phrase)

English Meaning - happen, occur, transpire.

31.take up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to start doing a particular activity; begin, commence, pursue, become involved in, engage in.

32.add to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - increase, intensify, augment, heighten, deepen, make worse.

33.a matter of grave concern (phrase)

English Meaning - used to describe something that is of serious importance or requires immediate attention.

34.grave (adjective)

English Meaning - serious, important, crucial, critical, urgent.

35.go on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - continue, carry on, proceed.

36.The Lower House (or) Lok Sabha (noun)

English Meaning - The Lok Sabha or the House of the People is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of India. (bicameral legislature/parliament means a legislature/parliament having two chambers/houses).

37.The Upper House (or) Rajya Sabha (noun)

English Meaning - The Rajya Sabha or the Council of States is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India.

38.go without saying (phrase)

English Meaning - be obvious that it does not need to be said or explained; be self-evident, be understood, be accepted.

39.have a bearing on (phrase)

English Meaning - have a relevance, relation or connection to something; have an influence, impact or effect on something.

40.competence (noun)

English Meaning - capability, ability, capacity, expertise, proficiency,

41.lie with (verb)

English Meaning - be, be found, be sited, be located.

42.constitution (noun)

English Meaning - body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter.

43.The Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - India, also known as Bharat, is a Union of States. It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.

44.Article 324 of the Constitution (noun)

English Meaning - It provides that the power of superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of every State and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President held under this Constitution shall be vested in a Commission (referred to in this Constitution as the Election Commission).

45.lay down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - formulate, stipulate, set down, draw up, frame.

46.emphasis (noun)

English Meaning - importance, significance, priority, underscoring, weightage.

47.to that end (phrase)

English Meaning - for that reason, with that goal, aiming to produce that result.

48.sought past and past participle of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

49.vacuum (noun)

English Meaning - empty space, emptiness, void, nothingness.

50.interim (adjective)

English Meaning - provisional, temporary, short-term, transitional.