10 August 2023, 01:27 PM IST Parliament House | Photo: PTI
New Delhi: The Modi government has taken an important step in the appointment of the Central Election Commission. A bill to exclude the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from the panel to select the members of the Election Commission will be introduced in the Rajya Sabha today. The purpose of the bill is to overturn the Supreme Court constitution bench ruling that the President should appoint Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners on the advice of a panel comprising the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
In March 2023, the Supreme Court had ordered that a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court should make a recommendation to the President to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners. The court also said that the committee should continue until the Parliament enacts a law for the appointment of election commissioners. The important verdict of the Supreme Court came in petitions demanding an independent system on the collegium model instead of the political decision of the cabinet.
However, the Centre’s new Bill does not include the Chief Justice in the appointment panel. The new panel proposed by the Center consists of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a cabinet member nominated by the Prime Minister. According to the Bill, the search committee will consist of the Cabinet Secretary and two other secretaries at the Centre. Prepare a five-member panel for consideration by the selection committee headed by the Prime Minister, which will be the search committee.
Those holding the rank of Secretary or equivalent in the Central Government shall be considered Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners.
2023-08-10 07:57:00
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