The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 22nd December 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Context

It was Shakespeare who said, “To hold as ’twere, the mirror up to nature”. The English computer scientist Alan Turing’s “imitation game” or “Turing test” takes the stance that a machine successfully represents a human if it responds to a question like a human mind does. From Plato’s mimesis (representation) as the principle of art, to the Turing test, and to recent progresses in artificial intelligence, “the key to artificial intelligence has always been the representation” (Jeff Hawkins).  

Key Points

• About Srinivasa Ramanujan:
  • Born on 22^nd December, 1887 in Erode,Tamil Nadu and died on 26^th April 1920 in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India.
  • In 1903 he secured a scholarship to the University of Madras but lost it the following year because he neglected all other subjects in pursuit of mathematics.
  • In 1911 Ramanujan published the first of his papers in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society.
  • In 1913 he began a correspondence with the British mathematician Godfrey H. Hardy which led to a special scholarship from the University of Madras and a grant from Trinity College, Cambridge.
  • In 1918 he was elected to the Royal Society of London.
  • Ramanujan was one of the youngest members of Britain's Royal Society and the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge University.
• Contributions to Mathematics:
  • Formulas and Equations:
    • Ramanujan compiled around 3,900 results consisting of equations and identities. One of his most treasured findings was his infinite series for Pi.
    • He gave several formulas to calculate the digits of Pi in many unconventional ways.
  • Game Theory:
    • He discovered a long list of new ideas to solve many challenging mathematical problems, which gave a significant impetus to the development of game theory.
    • His contribution to game theory is purely based on intuition and natural talent and remains unrivalled to this day.
  • Ramanujan’s Book:
    • One of Ramanujan’s notebooks was discovered by George Andrews in 1976 in the library at Trinity College. Later the contents of this notebook were published as a book.
  • Ramanujan number:
    • 1729 is known as the Ramanujan number.
    • It is the smallest number which can be expressed as the sum of two different cubes in two different ways.
    • 1729 is the sum of the cubes of 10 and 9 - cube of 10 is 1000 and cube of 9 is 729 adding the two numbers results in 1729.
    • 1729 is also the sum of the cubes of 12 and 1, cube of 12 is 1728 and cube of 1 is 1 adding the two results in 1729.
  • Other Contributions: Ramanujan’s other notable contributions include hypergeometric series, the Riemann series, the elliptic integrals, mock theta function, the theory of divergent series, and the functional equations of the zeta function.

Context

The way India’s constitutional and political structures have evolved over the years seems to have made elections almost a mechanistic and ritualistic exercise. The reason behind this is the setting up and functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) 

Election Commission of India (ECI)

• It is a constitutional body responsible for administering elections in India according to the rules and regulations mentioned in the Constitution of India. 
• It was established on January 25, 1950.
• It’s aim is to define and control the process for elections conducted at various levels: Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice President of India. 
• The ECI implements norms and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

Constitutional Provisions

• Article 324: Superintendence, direction and control of elections to be vested in an Election Commission.
• Article 325: No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special electoral roll on the ground of religion, race, caste or sex.
• Article 326: Elections to the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies of States to be on the basis of adult suffrage.
• Article 327: Power of Parliament to make provision with respect to elections to legislature.
• Article 328: Power of Legislature of a State to make provision with respect to elections to such Legislature.
• Article 329: Bar to interference by courts in electoral matters.

Appointment & Conditions of Service

• The President of India appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. 
• They have tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. 
• They enjoy the same status and receive salary and perks as available to Judges of the Supreme Court of India. 

Removal of Election Commissioners

• The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) can be removed from office only through impeachment by Parliament. 
• The CEC can be removed from office only through a process of removal similar to that of a Supreme Court Judge by Parliament.
• The President of India can remove the other officers on the Chief Commissioner's recommendation.
• They can resign anytime or can also be removed before the expiry of their term.

 CEC vs ECs

• Though the Chief Election Commissioner is the chairman of the election commission, his powers are equal to the other election commissioners. All the matters in the commission are decided by the majority amongst its members. 
• The Chief Election Commissioner and the two other election commissioners receive equal salary, allowances and other benefits.

 Power and Functions of ECI

• Administrative
  • Determining the Electoral Constituencies’ territorial areas throughout the country.
  • Preparing and periodically revising electoral rolls and registering all eligible voters.
  • Notifying the schedules and dates of elections and scrutinising nomination papers.
  • Granting recognition to the various political parties and allocating them election symbols.
  • It issues the Model Code of Conduct in elections for political parties and candidates so that no one indulges in unfair practice or there is no arbitrary abuse of powers by those in power.
• Advisory
  • Under the Constitution, the ECI has advisory jurisdiction in the matter of post-election disqualification of sitting members of Parliament and State Legislatures.
  • To advise the President of whether elections can be held in the state under the President's Rule in order to extend the period of emergency after one year.
• Quasi-Judicial
  • The cases of persons found guilty of corrupt practices at elections which come before the Supreme Court and High Courts are also referred to the ECI for its opinion on the question as to whether such person shall be disqualified and, if so, for what period.
  • The opinion of the ECI in all such matters is binding on the President or, as the case may be, the Governor to whom such opinion is tendered.
  • The ECI has the power to disqualify a candidate who has failed to lodge an account of his election expenses within the time and in the manner prescribed by law.
  • The ECI can cancel polls in the event of rigging, booth capturing, violence and other irregularities.

Significance

• It conducts elections with the highest standard of credibility, freeness, fairness, transparency, integrity, accountability, autonomy and professionalism.
• It creates awareness about the electoral process and electoral governance amongst stakeholders namely, voters, political parties, election functionaries, candidates and people at large.
• It plays an important role in preventing the dissemination of misinformation with the help of technological tools.

Some Flaws in ECI

• The Constitution is silent about the procedure for removal of the two Election Commissioners. It only provides for removal on the recommendation of the CEC.
• The Constitution has neither prescribed the qualification of the members of the ECI nor specified the terms of the members of the ECI.
• The Constitution has not debarred the retiring election commissioners from any further appointment by the government.
• Currently, the Executive enjoys the power to make appointments that affect the ECI's independence and make the process of appointing election commissioners partial and biased.

Way Forward

• The ECI should be insulated from political and/or executive interference to prevent any kind of manipulation in the selection process. 
• The ECI ensures the smooth and successful functioning of the democracy. It cannot become arbitrary and partisan as that will lead to the failure of democracy.
• The ECI needs to continuously reinvent its powers given to it under the Indian Constitution for better functioning.
• The integrity and independence of the ECI and its process needs to be preserved for a free and fair election in India and to maintain the public's faith and confidence in the Election Commission of India