Gandhi has presented a dissent note to the govt at the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner. In his note, he had argued that the most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner, and that the govt violated the Supreme Court order and removed the Chief Justice of India from the committee.
The Opposition led by Congress had earlier expressed its concerns regarding the selection panel, which includes the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition, but notably does not feature the Chief Justice of India.
They argued that this composition contradicts the spirit of a Supreme Court order aimed at preserving the panel’s independence and neutrality.
“As the LoP it is my duty to uphold the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the founding leaders of our nation and hold the government to account. It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours,” Gandhi posted on his X account.
A day earlier, Gandhi has pushed for postponing the meeting, insisting that the SC should first take a call on a plea questioning CJI’s absence from the panel.
Gandhi’s dissent note emphasised that, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear the related petition on Wednesday, the meeting to appoint the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) could be postponed until after the court’s ruling.
