Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said it was disrespectful and discourteous of the Centre to appoint a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) while the Supreme Court is set to hear pleas challenging legislation for the appointment on Wednesday. In his dissent note, Gandhi said the committee for appointment of election commissioners was a “flagrant violation” of the Supreme Court’s order.
During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM, that stated: The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of choosing the Election… pic.twitter.com/JeL9WSfq3X
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 18, 2025
The opposition leader is a member of the committee that chooses the new election commissioners and CEC. Besides the opposition leader, the prime minister and a Union minister chosen by the PM are part of the committee. Dissenting the Centre’s decision to choose the CEC while the Supreme Court is set to hear the matter, Gandhi said, “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.”
Gandhi said the Supreme Court’s order in March 2023, constituting a committee involving the prime minister, opposition leader and chief justice of India for appointment of CEC reflected the “larger concern among hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process”.
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“By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi Government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process,” the Congress leader charged.
Gandhi said while the apex court was set to hear the matter in less than 48 hours, the decision to appoint a new CEC now was “disrespectful and discourteous” to institutions and founding leaders of the nation. The Congress leader noted Ambedkar had warned about executive interference in India’s democracy and affairs of election commission while addressing the constituent assembly.
