In a democracy, the three organs of the government namely executive, legislature and judiciary perform different functions. The powers of all the three organs are separated so that no organ becomes too powerful and is able to keep a check on the other organs. For example, even though ministers and government officials exercise power, they are held responsible to the Parliament or the State Assemblies. Likewise, although judges are appointed by the executive branch of the government, they have the authority to check the functioning of the executive or legislations passed by the legislature. This arrangement is called the system of checks and balances.