The Centre has defended its decision to exclude the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the selection panel appointing the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court. The affidavit opposes the demand to cancel the appointment of Election Commissioners due to the absence of the CJI in the selection process.
According to the Centre’s affidavit, the purpose of the petitioners is to create political controversy, as the argument that the commission will only be independent with judges in the selection committee is deemed incorrect. The Centre further defended the appointment of the two Election Commissioners by a panel that does not include the CJI.
The Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions challenging the Act that removed the CJI from the panel to select the CEC and ECs. Various petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and individuals like Dr. Jaya Thakur, have challenged the constitutional validity of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023. The PILs argue that the Act threatens democracy by allowing the Executive to dominate the appointment process of Election Commission members.
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