The recent utterances of the Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee would have seemed blasphemous a few days earlier while SA Bobde was still Chief Justice of India. Something seems to have changed. Commenting while hearing a plea concerning the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Chief Justice said that if authorities had made proper plans and taken measures during last one year, the “tsunami of infection” could have been avoided. “We were lulled into a false sense of security,” the CJ said and continued expressing his dissatisfaction by saying “You (ECI) are the only institution responsible for the situation that we are in today. You have been singularly lacking any kind of exercise of authority. You have not taken measures against political parties holding rallies despite every order of this court saying maintain Covid protocol,” and added that officials of the ECI should be charged with murder for being the most irresponsible institution over the last few months in not stopping political parties from wanton abuse of Covid-19 protocols.
Such strong words indicate deep exasperation being felt currently by sensitive individuals in various fields across the country. The recent trend of government officials and judges at high posts showing great willingness to please and bend to the desires of the party in power has been blatantly noticeable. The Supreme Court, for example, has gone through a turbulent time in the near past due to a chain of Justices whose credibility has been questioned. Similarly, the Reserve Bank of India has witnessed a set of Governors who have brought shame and dishonor to the organization. In their quest for personal benefit, these retired individuals, after getting fresh appointments, are found incompetent and incapable to guide the economy of the nation in these troubled times. This has resulted in a death blow to the financial activities of the country and has made the Indian Rupee an unwanted currency at the global level. Even now, the Ministry of Health declaring that India has enough oxygen stock and therefore there is no need to panic is one more bright example of bureaucratic bungling. This message has been given out with the intention that the world should know that India under the present leadership is sufficiently capable of managing its affairs. Ground reality is that people are dying on a daily basis due to lack of oxygen.
Returning to the Election Commission issue, the Madras HC opinions need to be carried forward and implemented honestly. It is known that the charge of murder will never stick to the officials who have masterminded the current election schedules. It can safely be assumed that those working and taking decisions at the ECI were fully aware about the dangers to which they were pushing the voters. In spite of being aware of the threats, their callousness is exemplary. Most prominent leaders were seen campaigning without masks. Some contesting candidates are reported to have been infected by Covid-19. In Orissa, for instance, the Congress candidate for Pipili by-election died of Coronavirus infection during campaign. This forced postponement of polls. The death of this young politician was not due to natural causes. Someone ought to be held responsible for this loss of life. Apart from health issues, the incident of Central forces, deployed in West Bengal, firing upon and killing several voters at a polling booth is an unheard of event. All this muck could be raised because one Chief Election Commissioner, having reached the dusk of his career, obviously desired a new lease of employed life. Therefore, the nation has to suffer the pains of a recurring pandemic and loss of many lives. Charging such bureaucrats with murder may not send them to the gallows but would put the spotlight on the real criminals who always manage to blend into the shadows. Punishing by spotting these individuals could also make those in service currently to be more law abiding and responsible for their actions while in office.