Daily Analysis of 'The Hindu' - 12th March, 2020 | Additional Study Material for UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


For a level playing field 
?Electoral democracy has strong root in India 
?We have to accept the fact that, some unhealthy 
patterns have emerged. 
?Candidates and winners in Assembly and Lok Sabha 
polls have largely been from affluent sections — some 
even with several criminal cases against them.  
?Expensive elections, richer candidates. 
?Regulating social media will be difficult. 
?Idea of an Aadhaar-linked remote voting system  
 
Page 2


For a level playing field 
?Electoral democracy has strong root in India 
?We have to accept the fact that, some unhealthy 
patterns have emerged. 
?Candidates and winners in Assembly and Lok Sabha 
polls have largely been from affluent sections — some 
even with several criminal cases against them.  
?Expensive elections, richer candidates. 
?Regulating social media will be difficult. 
?Idea of an Aadhaar-linked remote voting system  
 
 
Page 3


For a level playing field 
?Electoral democracy has strong root in India 
?We have to accept the fact that, some unhealthy 
patterns have emerged. 
?Candidates and winners in Assembly and Lok Sabha 
polls have largely been from affluent sections — some 
even with several criminal cases against them.  
?Expensive elections, richer candidates. 
?Regulating social media will be difficult. 
?Idea of an Aadhaar-linked remote voting system  
 
 Ruling against judicial transparency 
?Chief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat 
case 
?The Supreme Court, regrettably, barred citizens from securing 
access to court records under the Right to Information (RTI) 
Act. 
Importance of sharing records 
?Decisions taken by the courts influence our daily life 
?Every prosecution before a criminal court is essentially an 
opportunity to hold the police accountable just as every writ 
petition is an opportunity to hold the government accountable. 
?Similarly, a significant number of commercial lawsuits are 
opportunities to learn more about corporations and the 
manner in which commercial translations are executed in the 
country. 
Page 4


For a level playing field 
?Electoral democracy has strong root in India 
?We have to accept the fact that, some unhealthy 
patterns have emerged. 
?Candidates and winners in Assembly and Lok Sabha 
polls have largely been from affluent sections — some 
even with several criminal cases against them.  
?Expensive elections, richer candidates. 
?Regulating social media will be difficult. 
?Idea of an Aadhaar-linked remote voting system  
 
 Ruling against judicial transparency 
?Chief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat 
case 
?The Supreme Court, regrettably, barred citizens from securing 
access to court records under the Right to Information (RTI) 
Act. 
Importance of sharing records 
?Decisions taken by the courts influence our daily life 
?Every prosecution before a criminal court is essentially an 
opportunity to hold the police accountable just as every writ 
petition is an opportunity to hold the government accountable. 
?Similarly, a significant number of commercial lawsuits are 
opportunities to learn more about corporations and the 
manner in which commercial translations are executed in the 
country. 
?In all of these cases, the pleadings filed by either 
party contain reams of information that are 
useful to a range of stakeholders such as citizens, 
journalists, academics, shareholders, etc., who 
can better inform the public discourse on the 
ramifications of these decisions. 
?Judicial proceedings takes place in open court. 
?It is completely legal for anyone to sit in court 
and take notes while a lawyer narrates the 
content of pleadings. 
?For those with deeper pockets, it is only a matter 
of paying out a bribe to get copies of pleadings 
“informally ”.  
Page 5


For a level playing field 
?Electoral democracy has strong root in India 
?We have to accept the fact that, some unhealthy 
patterns have emerged. 
?Candidates and winners in Assembly and Lok Sabha 
polls have largely been from affluent sections — some 
even with several criminal cases against them.  
?Expensive elections, richer candidates. 
?Regulating social media will be difficult. 
?Idea of an Aadhaar-linked remote voting system  
 
 Ruling against judicial transparency 
?Chief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat 
case 
?The Supreme Court, regrettably, barred citizens from securing 
access to court records under the Right to Information (RTI) 
Act. 
Importance of sharing records 
?Decisions taken by the courts influence our daily life 
?Every prosecution before a criminal court is essentially an 
opportunity to hold the police accountable just as every writ 
petition is an opportunity to hold the government accountable. 
?Similarly, a significant number of commercial lawsuits are 
opportunities to learn more about corporations and the 
manner in which commercial translations are executed in the 
country. 
?In all of these cases, the pleadings filed by either 
party contain reams of information that are 
useful to a range of stakeholders such as citizens, 
journalists, academics, shareholders, etc., who 
can better inform the public discourse on the 
ramifications of these decisions. 
?Judicial proceedings takes place in open court. 
?It is completely legal for anyone to sit in court 
and take notes while a lawyer narrates the 
content of pleadings. 
?For those with deeper pockets, it is only a matter 
of paying out a bribe to get copies of pleadings 
“informally ”.  
?Section 22 of the RTI Act which states that the 
RTI Act shall override any other law to the extent 
that the latter is inconsistent with the former. 
?The Section states: “ A c t to have an overriding 
effect — The provisions of this Act shall have 
effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent 
therewith contained in the Official Secrets Act, 
1923 (19 of 1923), and any other law for the time 
being in force or in any instrument having effect 
by virtue of any law other than this Act. ”  
?Despite this crystal-clear wording of Section 22, 
the Supreme Court and, on previous occasions, the 
High Courts, have concluded exactly the opposite.