INDIA bloc leaders ask ECI to restrict ED, CBI
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders met with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday and demanded that the operations of central probe agencies be restricted until the Lok Sabha elections are over. "[We] urged ECI to...curtail actions of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and...other agencies," a senior political leader said. The leaders included Congress's KC Venugopal, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury, and Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, among others.
Why does this story matter?
This comes a day after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the ED in an alleged scam case related to Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo's arrest is seen as a major setback for the opposition alliance, which will take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, the INDIA bloc has long accused the BJP-led central government of misusing central probe agencies to intimidate the opposition.
INDIA cites Article 324 to restrain central agencies
According to reports, the INDIA bloc delegation invoked Article 324 of the Constitution to seek ECI's direction for limiting the actions of central agencies like the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax Department during election periods. After the meeting, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that misuse of probe agencies could "jeopardize free and fair elections" and ultimately democracy itself. Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader Jitendra Satish Awhad echoed similar sentiments, urging the ECI to intervene against agency abuse.
Opposition gives memorandum to ECI
Moreover, the INDIA bloc presented a memorandum to the commission highlighting recent cases where central agencies allegedly targeted opposition parties. They claimed that the situation created a disadvantage for opposition parties. The memorandum underscored the arrests of individuals in constitutional positions like Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, arguing these were designed to hinder democratic functioning and demoralize opposition parties.
Parties refer to legal provisions against agency misuse
The parties contended that such misuse of central investigative agencies contravened previous ECI guidelines and provisions of the Representation of People Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They referenced a 2019 ECI circular and the Model Code of Conduct to back their argument. The opposition also cited a 1959 Supreme Court ruling on "undue influence," arguing that misuse of central investigating agencies disrupted the electoral chances of political parties.
