National Desk
19 February
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The Supreme Court will hear petitions on February 19 challenging the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) under the 2023 Act.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, told a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotishwar Singh that the government ignored a 2023 Constitution Bench ruling. The ruling stated that the selection of the CEC and ECs should involve a committee that includes the Chief Justice of India (CJI). However, the government excluded the CJI from the selection process. Bhushan argued that this was a violation of democracy and urged for an urgent hearing.
Another advocate, Varun Thakur, representing petitioner Jaya Thakur, said the government had made three appointments under the new law, which were now being challenged. The bench assured that the case would be heard on February 19.
The government recently appointed Gyanesh Kumar as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner, with a tenure until January 26, 2029. Vivek Joshi, a 1989 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as an Election Commissioner and will serve until 2031. Under the law, a CEC or EC can serve for six years or until the age of 65.