Unelected Bodies’s Role in Democracy

The recent controversy on the independence of the RBI from the government raised important issues of principle. Some analysts said that the government was elected while the RBI was not, and in a democracy the elected body must take precedence over the unelected one. This is at best a partial truth and at worst a very dangerous argument. Successful democracies depend as much on unelected institutions as elected ones.

Which institutions are the most respected in India? The Supreme Court, Election Commission and the armed forces. All three are unelected. Some will mention a fourth (also unelected) institution, the Comptroller and ....