Examine the role and functioning of the election commission of India and the comptroller and Auditor General in last two decades.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 two constitutional guardians, Art 324 / Arts 148–151 → one guards the vote, the other guards funds
Route 2 last two decades = institutional deepening + rising partisan strain → stake both at once
ECI modernisation (EVM nationwide 2004 → EPIC, VVPAT, NOTA 2014, SVEEP, expenditure monitoring) → malpractice cut, trust raised → deSouza → but functioning still contested (Model Code, money power, criminalisation) → appointment crisis, Anoop Baranwal 2023 → Ambedkar’s “thumb of the Executive” → CAG shifts accounting → performance audit → 2G / coal / CWG, Vinod Rai → accountability widened → Durga Das Basu: post-facto, watchdog not comptroller → non-binding findings, PPP gaps, policy-paralysis charge
the very assertiveness that deepened accountability also invited the charge of overreach/paralysis → both ultimately rest on perceived neutrality
Route 1 deepened in capacity, vulnerable in autonomy → credibility hinges on neutrality
Route 2 their reports and decisions matter only with serious legislative follow-up
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Statutory Institutions / Commissions — 10 questions in the Vault.
- How far has been the National Human Rights Commission successful in achieving its objectives? Comment.
- Explain the structure and functions of the National Commission for Women.
- National Commission for Minorities
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.