ROLE OF CONTRIBUTION OF SOME PROMINENT CIVIL

SERVANT FOR PROMOTING THE CAUSE OF CIVIL

SERVICES ACTIVISM
CASE STUDY: T.N. SESHAN

Academic Session (2022-2023)

DHARMASHASTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY,

Jabalpur (M.P.) 482001

Political Science-III

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Srishti Agrawal Ms. Divyanshi Gupta
BALLB/098/21 Teaching Associate,
III Semester Political Science

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Acknowledgement

I am overwhelmed in all humbleness and gratefulness to acknowledge my debt to all those who
have helped me to put these ideas, well above the level of simplicity and into something
concrete.
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher, Ms. Divyanshi Gupta,
and our Vice Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) V. Nagaraj, who gave me the golden opportunity to do
this wonderful project on the topic, “Role and contribution of some prominent civil servant
for promoting the cause of civil services activism”, which also helped me in doing a lot of
research and I came to know about so many new things. I am really thankful to them.
Any attempt at any level can’t be satisfactorily completed without the support and guidance of
my parents and friends who helped me a lot in gathering different information, collecting data
and guiding me from time to time in making this project, despite of their busy schedules, they
gave me different ideas in making this project unique.

Thankingyou,
Srishti Agrawal

BALLB/098/21

Batch of 2026

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

S.No. Topic Page No.

1. Acknowledgement 2
2. Abstract 4
3. Chapter I: 5-6
• Introduction: Seshan’s Early Life and Career
• Research Objectives
• Research Questions
• Research Methodology
• Scope of the Study
4. Chapter II: Political background before Seshan’s tenure 7-8
5. Chapter III: Electoral Reforms 9-11
6. Chapter IV: Conclusion 12
7. Bibliography 13

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ABSTRACT

Civil services activism can be simply understood as all necessary proactive actions taken by
civil servants to make the system they’re a part of, more open, human-centered, and effective.
They also make sure the administration follows the values and guidelines outlined by the
constitution. There are many different types of activism, including: civil servants regularly
organising public meetings, demanding the public's opinion, spreading knowledge of public
rights, ensuring the quality of the services and goods the government provides, diligent
operation, supervision, and examination, and firmly opposing decisions or acts made by
ministers, political leaders, elders, or other colleagues that conflict with their constitutional
obligations and ideals.

In this particular paper, the case study of Ex- Chief Election Commissioner, TN Seshan, who
started the electoral system's purging process is taken up to understand civil services activism
in depth and also to appreciate the contributions of one of many civil servants. He made
multiple reforms in India’s electoral system such as the introduction of voter ID cards with
photos. Additionally, he made sure that the parties and candidates took the model code of
conduct seriously. Up until that point, it had only been seen as a document of academic interest.
Mr. T. N. Seshan proved to the outside world that his post wasn't one that of a pushover despite
receiving a barrage of criticism for going above his mandate. This case study will include the
aforementioned facts and their analysis in detail.

To understand and appreciate his accomplishments in a fulfilling sense, we will also look into
the contextual background that persisted and how they were affecting the political system of
India which in result culminated into a need for the reforms brought by T N Seshan.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Early life and Career

T N Seshan was born on 15 December 1932 in Palghat, Kerala. He passed the UPSC civil
services exam in 1954, at which point he enlisted in the IAS as a trainee for the Tamil Nadu
cadre in 1955.

As a student at the Delhi Academy of Administration, Seshan was hired as an assistant collector
and apprentice administrator for a year in Coimbatore. In Dindigul, he was initially assigned
sub-collector. He relocated to Madras (now Chennai), where he was named director of
programmes and deputy secretary, and from 1958 to 1962, he oversaw a local government
programme for panchayats.

He was named Madras's director of transportation in 1962. (now Tamil Nadu). He was named
the district collector for Madurai in 1964. After 2.5 years, he enrolled at Harvard University on
an Edward S. Mason Fellowship to continue his studies, where he graduated with a master's in
public administration in 1968. He became friends with his associate professor Subramanian
Swamy at Harvard.

He was named secretary of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1969 after his return. He worked
as the Department of Space's joint secretary from 1972 to 1976. He returned to Tamil Nadu in
1976, when he briefly served as the state's secretary of agriculture and industry. He resigned
and relocated to Delhi where he was appointed as a member of the Oil and Natural Gas
Commission and was in charge of people following disagreements with the Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu. After two years, he worked from 1980 to 1985 as the Department of Space's
supplementary secretary. From 1985 to 1988, he served as the ministry of environment and
forests' secretary.

During his tenure, he opposed the Sardar Sarovar and Tehri dams on the Narmada River but
was overridden. Later on, he was appointed to the additional role of secretary of internal
security, a position he held up until 1989. He worked as the Ministry of Defence's secretary for
ten months in 1988. In 1989, he was appointed to the position of 18th Cabinet Secretary, the
highest rank in the Indian civil service hierarchy. He later served as a member of the Planning
Commission.

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From December 12, 1990, to December 11, 1996, he was the 10th Chief Election
Commissioner to hold the position.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

• The paper aims to look at the relevant background and the causes for the reforms
brought by TN Seshan.
• The paper then aims to discuss the reforms brought forth by TN Seshan and how they
can be perceived as civil services activism.
• To conclude, the paper aims to observe the far-reaching effects of the reforms brought
and also see their validity.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• Why was the intervention of TN Seshan as the Election Commissioner needed in

reforming the then prevalent system?
• What were the electoral changes brought in his tenure?
• What are the still observed effects of the aforementioned reforms?

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research methodology used in this work is doctrinal in nature.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

T N Seshan held multiple positions as a civil servant in multiple government departments and
contributed significantly there but for the purpose of this study, the discussion has been limited
to his tenure as the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India.

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CHAPTER II

POLITICAL BACKGROUND BEFORE SESHAN’S TENURE AS CEC

Model Code of Conduct

The EC issued the MCC as a series of rules to control political parties and candidates
before elections. It aids the EC in upholding the duties imposed on it by Article 324 of
the Constitution, which grants it the authority to oversee and hold free and fair elections
to the Parliament and State Legislatures. From the day the election timetable is
announced until the day the results are revealed, the MCC is in operation.

It contains certain provisions dealing with the following concerns:

• General Conduct
Political parties should only be criticised for their policies, programmes,
accomplishments in the past, and current activities. Activities including buying votes,
intimidating voters, criticising candidates based on unverified allegations, and
appealing to caste and community sentiments are all forbidden.
• Meetings
Parties are required to provide the local police authorities advance notice of any
meeting's location and time so that they can take appropriate security precautions.
• Processions
In order to prevent clashing processions, organisers must make contact in advance if
two or more candidates plan to march along the same route. It is forbidden to carry and
burn effigies of anyone affiliated with rival political parties.
• Polling day
The proper badges or identity cards should be distributed to all authorised party
representatives at the polls. Voters must receive identity cards from them that are
printed on plain (white) paper without any symbols or party or candidate names.
• Polling booths
Only registered voters and those with a valid pass from the EC are permitted entry.
• Observers
Any candidates may contact the electoral commission's observers to report any issues
with the way the election is being conducted.
• Party in power

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 In 1979, the MCC imposed limitations that governed the behaviour of the ruling party.
Ministers are not allowed to use government resources for election-related work or mix
official visits with it. The party must refrain from spending public funds on
advertisements or utilising official media to publicise accomplishments in an effort to
increase its prospects of winning the election. Ministers and other officials are not
allowed to promise the building of roads, the provision of drinking water, or any other
financial grants. Public areas and rest areas must be accessible to all parties, and they
cannot be monopolised by the party in power.

The Commissioners who came before Seshan were unable to ensure that the Model
Code of Conduct was followed, despite the fact that Indian elections were all about
money and force. The aforementioned were ineffective and unenforceable.

Illegal ways to solicit votes

The political parties tried multiple illicit ways to get their way and the majority of votes. Such
ways included bribes; distribution of liquor; use of loudspeakers without permission; booth
capturing; intimidating or coercing or influencing the voters; damaging public walls with
posters and paint; using official machinery to conduct electoral work; use of religious places;
appealing to voters’ caste or communist feelings; and making fake promises in the election
manifesto.

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CHAPTER III

ELECTORAL REFORMS BROUGHT BY T N SESHAN

Seshan's administration might be seen as a time for radical transformation and reform. His
controversial reforms earned him the distinctions of "legend" and "source of inspiration." As
part of election reform, he classified over 150 electoral irregularities. The following explains a
few of the significant reforms.

1. Backing for oppositional and smaller parties

The EC started enforcing the model code of conduct seriously, which was advantageous
to the opposing parties because they might win in a free election that is unaffected by
the party that forms the government. The opposition party was prepared to support the
EC and the code of conduct since it gave them a chance to win by preventing the ruling
party from luring voters with alluring government policies at the end of its term, most
of which would not be put into effect once the party assumes office. Because inflated
electoral rolls allowed major parties to falsely inflate their vote share, smaller parties
backed ECI's efforts to clean them up.

2. Prohibition of Liquor Distribution

Seshan forbade the consumption and distribution of alcohol both on voting day and,
more crucially, for three to two days beforehand. Voters must be sober when casting
their ballots, and alcohol addicts can be readily persuaded by parties by providing them
with drink. When T.N. Seshan served as CEC, rumours have it that Goa, where alcohol
is readily available, ran out before the election.

3. Misusing governmental resources

The use of official vehicles and the use of government employees, etc. by the ruling
party in political campaigns was outlawed in Sheshan. The Prime Minister was initially
allowed to use the security and vehicles for his protection, but this privilege was
eventually extended to Chief Ministers and other ministers as well because their safety
was crucial because they were at risk of harm. They are permitted to use government
resources, but they are not allowed to use them exclusively for political campaigns
because the two are fundamentally different.

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4. Model Code of Conduct- Effective Period
The EC recommended that the code enter into force right away following the official
announcement of the election date in order to prevent electoral fraud and voter
influence. Political parties protested it vehemently, which resulted in the filing of a case
in which the EC recognised that it would typically take more than 3 weeks before the
polls were officially announced, but the EC otherwise gained what it wanted.

5. Using electoral authority to penalise code of conduct violations

In order to implement the Code of Conduct, the EC threatened to cancel or postpone
the elections if violations occurred. Although this was unprecedented, Seshan used his
activist methods to effect change. In order to demonstrate that he wouldn't think twice
about cancelling or delaying elections in the event of a code of conduct violation, he
also stopped a number of election campaigns in the middle of them. When the
government made promises to include Dalit - Christians on as a Scheduled Caste, he
once stopped a by-election in Ajnala, Punjab.

6. Keeping the walls free from political thoughts

During the election, the public walls would be covered in magnificent murals and
posters. However, the ECE ordered the State Government to pursue legal action against
political parties in 1994 for defacing building walls during elections as well as to take
down the posters and whitewash the walls after the polls. The political party, which was
accustomed to painting their logos on walls, found this to be very inconvenient and
criticised him for acting like an extended Environment Minister (as a jab to him
working as a Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Forests).

7. Restriction of use of speakers and timings for public meetings

Additionally, he restricted the use of loudspeakers for moving vehicles from 8 am to 7
pm and prohibited their use without prior authorization. Meeting times must be set
before 11 p.m. in rural areas and before 10 p.m. in urban areas.

8. Booth Capturing
Under his rigorous supervision, the number of captured booths in Uttar Pradesh decreased
from 873 in 1991 to 255 in the 1993 elections. Additionally, the number of murders on

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 election day decreased from 36 to 3. In addition, less than the previous 17 constituencies,
three, had polling to be halted or postponed.

Seshan tried to limit more than just the amount of money and strength. Dry days were
proclaimed six days prior to elections in all states.

The Election Commission sent 1,500 observers—three per electoral district—to watch the
1996 general elections. Around 1.5 million state workers staffed the polling places, while
more than 600,000 security guards were on duty. According to reports, approximately
300,000 people were detained as a preventive measure, including 125,000 in Uttar
Pradesh and 59,000 in Madhya Pradesh, where 87,000 firearms were also recovered.

9. Election Manifesto
The Election Symbol Ordinance Act allows the EC to derecognize a political party if it
flagrantly violates the Model Code, according to an ECE-issued Ordinance. All political
parties were given notice by the EC to submit their election manifestos for evaluation.
The Political Parties were outraged by this, and they all came under increased scrutiny
from the EC. Videographers were dispatched to the electoral events, and they brought the
tape back to the EC so that it could be viewed in a Control Room.

10. Educating the voters

Seshan, who frequently attracted attention, used print media to inform the young, middle-
class voters who made up the bulk of the populace. They were particularly motivated by
the way the EC followed ECE guidelines. To keep legislators in check, he issued press
releases on a regular basis and made a lot of trips across the nation. He was mentioned in
the news at least three times per week, according to a columnist. It raised the general
public's awareness of electoral procedures and the fundamental ideas behind free and fair
elections to uphold democracy.

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

Overall, Seshan's numerous reforms and inventions enabled India to hold clean and fair
elections for the first time in many years. Politicians in India were terrified by these measures,
but the common populace praised them. His success was largely attributed to the efficient
design of voting processes, the effective and uniform enforcement of laws and regulations, and
the broad use of information campaigns to increase voter awareness.

According to some, Seshan's overall influence was institutional, strengthening the Election
Commission to make it a powerful instrument of the government and enabling the reforms he
started to be carried out by subsequent commissioners. Seshan gave himself excellent grades
(80 to 90 percent) for the success of his procedure modifications, but lower marks (50 percent
each) for preserving the independence of the Commission and raising voter awareness. He gave
himself a meagre 10% credit for changing the statute as it was required.

Former CEC T.S. Krishna Murthy called Mr. Seshan's tenure a "changing moment" in the ECI's
history in his book Miracle of Democracy: India's Amazing Journey. He noted that if the history
of the Election Commission were to be written, it would have to be separated into two periods:
the pre-Seshan era, during which the Commission operated as a department of the government,
and the post-Seshan era, during which the Commission gained more independence.

As acknowledgement of his contributions to the electoral system, he was awarded the Ramon
Magsaysay Award for government service in 1996.

All the aforementioned details about his life and work clearly showcase that how he was
inadvertently a civil service activist and contributed tonnes to the cause of civil services
activism.

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BIBLIOGRAPH

• “India’s Most Impactful Election Commissioner, TN Seshan Passes Away.” The News
Minute, 10 Nov. 2019, www.thenewsminute.com/article/india-s-most-famous-
election-commissioner-tn-seshan-passes-away-112084.
• Dhingra, Sanya. “‘Only God or TN Seshan’ — Why Politicians Feared the ex-CEC
Who Was an Inspiration to Many.” ThePrint, 11 Nov. 2019, theprint.in/india/only-god-
or-tn-seshan-why-politicians-feared-the-ex-cec-who-was-an-inspiration-to-
many/319134.
• “T.N. Seshan Obituary | the Man Who Cleaned up The Indian Electoral System.” T.N.
Seshan Obituary | the Man Who Cleaned up The Indian Electoral System - the Hindu,
10 Nov. 2019, www.thehindu.com/news/national/tn-seshan-obituary-the-man-who-
cleaned-up-the-indian-electoral-system/article29939660.ece.
• Narasimhan, T. E., and @bsindia. “T N Seshan, the Man Who Helped Clean up India’s
Elections.” T N Seshan, the Man Who Helped Clean up India’s Elections | Business
Standard News, 11 May 2012, www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/-
the-more-you-kick-me-112051200032_1.html.
• “Former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan Dies at 86.” India Today, 10 Nov.
2019, www.indiatoday.in/india/story/former-election-commissioner-tn-seshan-dies-at-
87-1617671-2019-11-10.
• “1996 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service - Tirunellai N. Seshan.”
1996 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service - Tirunellai N. Seshan,
web.archive.org/web/20130528164030/http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Biography/
BiographySeshanTir.htm. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.
• “CEC T.N. Seshan Tightens Electoral Reform Screws to Clean up Entire Election
Process.” India Today, 15 Dec. 1994, www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-
story/story/19941215-cec-tn-seshan-tightens-electoral-reform-screws-to-clean-up-
entire-election-process-809973-1994-12-14.
• “Model Code of Conduct: EC.” Drishti IAS, 27 Oct. 2020, www.drishtiias.com/daily-
updates/daily-news-analysis/model-code-of-conduct-ec.
• “Role of T.N. Seshan in Election Reforms in India - iPleaders.” iPleaders, 28 Nov.
2021, blog.ipleaders.in/role-of-t-n-seshan-in-election-reforms-in-india.

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