Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Thursday said it was “a black day” as the Centre introduced a contentious bill in Rajya Sabha seeking to replace the Chief Justice of India with a cabinet minister in the panel for selection of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners.
"Today was a black day...The Election Commission is the last independent body in the country to hold democratic and unbiased elections. PM Modi wants to make it 'Modi Election Commission'," Surjewala said while speaking to reporters.
An uproar by the opposition ensued as law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 in the upper house in the post-lunch session today.
The bill comes months after a Supreme Court verdict in March that the selection panel for CEC and ECs should comprise the prime minister, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India (CJI), till a law is framed by Parliament on the recruitment the country's top election officers.
The ruling was aimed at insulating the appointment of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners from the Executive's interference.
A vacancy will arise in the Election Commission early next year when Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey demits office on February 14 on attaining the age of 65 years. His retirement is expected days before the likely announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha poll schedule by the commission.
What Does The CEC-EC Bill State?
The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 seeks to regulate the appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners.
According to the bill, the appointments will be made by the President on the recommendation of a selection committee consisting of the prime minister, who will be the chairperson; the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet minister to be nominated by the prime minister. It excludes the Chief Justice of India from the process of recruitment as opposed to the Supreme Court’s verdict.
It further states that the appointment of the CEC and ECs "shall not be invalid" merely by reason of any vacancy in or any defect in the constitution of the selection committee.
The Centre’s move is being seen as a potential trigger for fresh tensions between the Executive and the Judiciary.
