The hurried passing of important Bills through Parliament in the last session, closed sine die one day ahead of schedule, without the majority of the Opposition MPs being present because they had been suspended, is a black mark on the face of Indian democracy that is held generally in great esteem in many parts of the world. Bills like the Criminal CRPC, Telecommunications and the Election Commission Bill that sought change in the manner of appointment of the CEC, were passed without any debate. With all 3 Bills being important, the bill relating to the appointment of the CEC will have crucial impact on the future of Indian democracy. The removal of the Chief Justice of India from the panel to elect the CEC is incorrect since along with the PM, LoP and the CJI the panel had balance and conveyed no bias. Replacing the CJI in the panel with another Cabinet Minister completely negates the manner of choice of the CEC since then it is clear that the incumbent government's choice will prevail. The intention of the government is clear, that it wants its say in the selection of the CEC to prevail by bulldozing the process. Since the days of TN Seshan, the Election Commission has progressively lost its unbiased and upright position in its mandate to conduct India's elections. This is more so after 2014. It has now degenerated to such an extent that today it is actually working like a rubber stamp of the incumbent government. The new Bill will regularise and legitimise this method of working and devalue the Election Commission to yet another department of the government and remove its status as one of the pillars of our democracy.
