Pleas Challenging Appointment Process Of CEC and ECs Adjourned by SC
The Supreme Court of India today adjourned the hearing of several petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
The petitions object to the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel responsible for appointing Election Commissioners, a significant alteration to the previous process.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), urged the bench to expedite the hearing, emphasizing the importance of the matter.
The matter was being heard by a Division Bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih.
Enacted in 2023, the law in question, replaced the Chief Justice of India with a member appointed by the Prime Minister in the selection committee for appointing Election Commissioners. This change has been a point of contention, with critics asserting that it diminishes the autonomy of the Election Commission.
The Supreme Court had previously ruled that appointments should be made by a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India until a new law was enacted.