Government proposes bill on CEC and EC appointments in RS

In the face of vehement opposition from opposition parties, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal submitted a Bill on Thursday in the Rajya Sabha to control the appointment, terms of service, and terms of office of the chief election commissioner and subordinate election commissioners.

Procedure for doing business by the Election Commission is another topic covered in the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill 2023.

 

According to the proposed legislation, the election commissioners would be chosen by the president based on the advice of a panel that includes the prime minister, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union cabinet minister whom the PM will select. The PM will also serve as the panel’s chair.

 

 

If the Bill becomes law, the Supreme Court’s March 2023 ruling that the President must choose election commissioners on the recommendation of a body that included the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India would be overturned. The supreme court had, however, determined in its ruling that the method it had emphasized would remain in effect until Parliament had passed a legislation.

 

Major Opposition parties fiercely opposed the proposal. The administration, according to opposition leaders, including those from the Congress, is undermining a ruling from a Constitution court.