The Supreme Court has agreed to review on March 21 a series of petitions opposing the appointment of two new election commissioners under a law passed in 2023.
Earlier in the day, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, both former bureaucrats, officially began their roles as election commissioners. Their appointments to the Election Commission were made on Thursday, marking the first such appointments since the enactment of a new law regarding the selection of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners.
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The Election Commission faced vacancies following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel on March 8.
Gyanesh Kumar and Sandhu, both 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, hailed from the Kerala and Uttarakhand cadres, respectively.
The Lok Sabha approved The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 on December 21. This bill is designed to govern the appointment and terms of service for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners.
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Notably, the bill caused uproar as it removed the CJI from the selection panel, which previously included the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. This decision sparked criticism from opposition members and brought attention to a Supreme Court ruling from March 2023.
The Supreme Court order had ruled that the appointment of CEC and ECs shall be made by the President on the basis of advice tendered by a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or leader of the largest Opposition party in the House, and the CJI.
The primary responsibility of the newly appointed election commissioners will be to ensure the smooth and successful conduct of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May this year.
In March 2023, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India must pick the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs).
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 15 Mar 2024, 01:32 PM IST