Supreme Court Refuses To Put On Hold Appointment Of Election Commissioners

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to put on hold the appointment of two Election Commissioners- Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu- whose names were finalised yesterday. The court has listed the matter for hearing on March 21. Meanwhile, the apex court also allowed petitioners to file applications regarding the latest development of the appointment of two new Election Commissioners under a 2023 law and says it will examine it on March 21. 

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea of an NGO challenging the exclusion of the Chief Justice of India from a panel meant for selecting the CEC and election commissioners on the grounds that the poll panel should be insulated from “political” and “executive interference” to maintain a healthy democracy.

The NGO had challenged the validity and sought a stay on the operation of Section 7 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023 which excludes the CJI from the panel meant to select the CEC and ECs.

The NGO had moved to the top court after Election Commissioner Arun Goel put in his papers recently. “Direct the Union of India to appoint the vacant positions of Election Commissioners till the pendency of the writ petition, in accordance with the Selection Committee laid down by this Hon’ble Court in Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (Supra) in 2023. Democracy is a facet of the basic structure of the Constitution and in order to ensure free and fair elections and to maintain healthy democracy in our country, the Election Commission should be insulated from political and/or executive interference,” the plea, filed in the disposed of PIL, said.