Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

High Court vs E.C.

The Madras High Court ruling that the Election Commission does not have the authority to order the transfer of the Chennai Police Commissioner before elections are formally notified (editorial "Counselling mutual accommodation," April 3) is a rap on the E.C.'s knuckles. Even otherwise, praising a woman Chief Minister on the occasion of International Women's Day cannot be termed a violation of the model code of conduct by any stretch of imagination.

R. Anand,
Hyderabad

* * *

The editorial rightly says the E.C. and the Governments should function in a cooperative spirit. But with sycophancy and non-professionalism common among bureaucrats, only constitutional bodies such as the E.C. can discharge their duties in the best interest of the country. The E.C. should be allowed to fulfil the demands of its office to the maximum possible extent.

K.K. Cherian,
Bangalore

* * *

It is unfortunate that a top civil servant should have become the subject matter of a court pronouncement. While it may be true that technically, elections have not been notified in Tamil Nadu, there is no doubt that the Police Commissioner overstepped the propriety expected of him.

M.K.D. Prasada Rao,
Ghaziabad, U.P.

* * *

The E.C. should take the judgment in the right spirit. It should not go soft on similar violations in future. Thanks to its impartiality, smooth conduct of polls has been made possible in many States, including Bihar.

N. Sivaraman,
Kancheepuram, T.N.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

A foundation for public health
Need not be a central monopoly
France in ferment, anger on the streets
Corrections and clarifications
The roads from Chitrakoot
Shops and slums — a city divided
Laughter really is the best medicine
Musharraf pardons several prisoners
High Court vs E.C.
SBI strike
Deplorable attitude
Skewed priorities?
Office of profit
Unsparing exposé

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu