New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- The Election Commission of India is not an ordinary government department. It is a constitutional institution entrusted with something more fundamental than conducting elections: protecting the citizen's right to choose. Article 324 of the Constitution of India vests the Commission with superintendence, direction and control over electoral rolls and elections. Its credibility is therefore inseparable from that of Indian democracy.

The controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has now acquired an unusual and serious dimension. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over ten months concerning decisions relating to electoral...