Fair Elections Essential for Democracy, Supreme Court Should Examine Constitutional Violations: Murli Manohar Joshi

Joshi made the remarks while speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 21st FICCI Higher Education Summit 2026 in New Delhi, amid the ongoing political controversy surrounding the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Asked about the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations that genuine voters were being removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Joshi said democratic governance ultimately rests on fair elections, accountable governments and transparent administration.

“Government of the people, for the people and by the people, shall not perish from the earth, provided the elections are fair, the governments are accountable, and the bureaucracy is transparent,” he said.

Joshi also stressed the importance of the Opposition in a democratic system and said it should function responsibly while offering an alternative political programme.

“The Opposition is responsive and responsible, and has a clear-cut alternative programme. The whole thing is to be done under the ambit of the Constitution, and if the Constitution is violated, then the Supreme Court should look into it. That is the principle on which democracy should work,” he said.

The Opposition has questioned aspects of the electoral roll revision process and sought accountability from the Election Commission, making the issue a major point of political contention.

On the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP), Joshi said it was too early to assess its full impact as the policy had not been in place for a sufficiently long period.

“As the new education policy hasn't been in place for long, this is still under consideration. It's still underway, so what can we say about it at this stage? This is just the beginning. Its consequences will be known later,” he said.

The former Education Minister also commented on student protests, saying that governments should listen carefully to students and address their legitimate concerns with sensitivity.

He opposed the use of force to deal with such demonstrations and emphasised dialogue as the appropriate way to address grievances.

“The legitimate demands of students should always be heard and should be heard with a great deal of sympathy. The method of using batons is not appropriate. You can never find a solution this way. If there are problems, listen to them. They are our children,” Joshi said.