“Show me the person, I will show you the rule” is a cynical aphorism that captures the rot in systems where identity outweighs evidence. In such a dispensation, guilt is calibrated not by the act but by the actor: the poor are punished swiftly, and the powerful are spared gently.

It is a charge too serious to be casually levelled against a constitutional body like the Election Commission of India, whose legitimacy rests entirely on its reputation for neutrality. Yet recent actions risk inviting precisely that suspicion.

Kharge controversy and swift action

Consider the controversy surrounding Mallikarjun Kharge. Reports that he had called Narendra Modi a “terrorist” spread quickly, only for Kharge to clarify that he had accused the Prime Minister of “terrorising” opposition........

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