WE hail the move by the High Court declaring null and void a provision undermining the independence of the Anti-Corruption Commission. With the ACC now free to prosecute public servants without having to seek the permission of the government to do so, all citizens believing in equality before law will heave a sigh of relief. The provision, injected into the ACC law against clear public opinion, included among which was the finance minister's opposition to the step, should not have been brought in at all.

Now that the judiciary has struck down the provision, the lesson should dawn on the political classes, now and in future, that nothing that is inconsistent with the norms and practice of democracy should be forced on the nation. If the ACC is truly an independent body, it should be seen to be operating without fetters. That said, it remains inexplicable why any prosecution of public servants should need the authorization of the executive branch. When citizens across the spectrum - in society, in the various professions, indeed in politics - can be made to answer for their misdemeanours, there is absolutely no reason to treat a particular class of people in brahminical fashion.

We have been consistent in our belief that democracy does not admit of discriminatory treatment in the application of law. Let it, therefore, now be ensured by the government and of course by the nation at large that such bodies as the ACC will work absolutely independently.