Thane: Retired Supreme Court judge Abhay Oka has said the appointment process for Election Commissioners must remain free from political dominance, emphasising the need for robust legal mechanisms to safeguard the independence and integrity of institutions.
Speaking at a lecture titled ‘Freedom of Speech and Us’ in Thane on Sunday, Justice Oka raised questions about accountability in high-level constitutional appointments.
He said a system backed by legal provisions was needed to ensure that political dominance did not dictate the appointment of Election Commissioners. He also questioned what would happen if an Election Commissioner, such as Gyanesh Kumar, were removed from office.
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“Former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani had proposed a collegium system nearly 14 years ago, which would have included the Prime Minister, Law Minister, Leaders of the Opposition in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India, to ensure a truly independent selection process,” he said.
He reiterated that free and fair elections are the bedrock of democracy. Noting that freedom of speech is a fundamental right that allows citizens to express their views and perspectives, he said an argument must be met with an argument, not physical force.
“To preserve our nation's democracy, freedom of speech must be protected, as life loses its meaningful essence without it,” he added.
The former Supreme Court judge also criticised what he described as ‘systematic environmental exploitation’.
“Temperatures in Thane and Mumbai touching 38 to 40 degrees Celsius were unprecedented. Thousands of trees had been cut down across Thane over the past decade to clear space for various projects, the consequences of which citizens are now bearing,” he said.
Expressing concern over what he described as a lack of environmental sensitivity among political leaders, he said maintaining a scientific temper did not mean going against religion. He cited practices such as idol immersion in natural water bodies as being contrary to scientific stewardship.
Referring to Thane's proposed circular metro project, Oka said citizens had the right to question whether spending Rs 12,000 crore on metro corridors was justified, and whether transport needs could instead be met at a fraction of the cost by optimising roads and significantly expanding the fleet of the Thane Municipal Transport service.
