Plea filed in Supreme Court to restrain govt from appointing election commissioner under new Act

Plea filed in Supreme Court to restrain Union government from appointing new election commissioner as per recently enacted law.

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court to restrain the Union government from appointing a new election commissioner under the recently enacted Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Terms of Office) Act, 2023.

Congress leader Jaya Thakur has filed the petition in the aftermath of Arun Goel’s abrupt resignation as election commissioner, which left the three-member poll panel down to one ahead of crucial Lok Sabha elections.

Thakur’s plea seeks a directive from the apex court, urging the Union government to adhere to the guidelines laid down in a previous Supreme Court judgment, which stipulates that election commissioners should be appointed by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition.

“This is our attempt to make sure that some parameters will be set up for this (appointment of election commissioners),” Jaya Thakur told PTI.