New Delhi: Bureaucrats Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been selected to fill the two vacant positions in the top panel of the Election Commission of India, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters on Thursday.
Chowdhury disclosed that he was part of the panel, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tasked with selecting two Election Commissioners to support Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar as the poll body gears up for the impending Lok Sabha election. Alongside the Prime Minister and Chowdhury, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also part of the selection process.
TOP POINTS
- Expressing criticism, the Congress leader denounced the law that substituted the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister on the selection committee. “The inclusion of the Chief Justice of India on this committee is essential,” he remarked, contending that the law enacted last year had diminished the meeting into a mere formality. “The government holds the majority on the panel. Their preferences prevail.”
- Chowdhury revealed that he received a list of 212 names for review the previous night. “I requested a shortlist to evaluate the candidates, but I was denied that opportunity. I arrived in Delhi at midnight, and the meeting was scheduled for noon today (Thursday). They presented me with 212 names. How can one thoroughly assess so many candidates in a day? Just ten minutes before the meeting, I was furnished with a shortlist of 6 names,” he lamented.
- “It was predetermined that the chosen two would be appointed. However, I attempted to intervene appropriately to fortify the institution. Hence, prior to my arrival in Delhi, I sought a shortlist. They furnished me with a list of all candidates, totalling 212. Now, you can comprehend if it is humanly feasible for me to scrutinize 212 names overnight and identify the most qualified candidate among them,” he emphasized.
- Chowdhury disclosed that he issued a dissenting note, questioning the selection procedure.
- He also referenced the resignation of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner, which has sparked controversy. “When Goel was appointed, the Supreme Court had commented on the ‘lightning speed.’ He arrived swiftly and departed with digital speed,” Chowdhury remarked.
#WATCH | After the meeting of selection committee to pick the Election Commissioner, the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, "In this committee, govt has the majority….One Mr Kumar from Kerala and one Mr B. Sandhu from Punjab have been selected as… pic.twitter.com/Y78sPvEbPh
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WHO ARE SUKHBIR SINGH SANDHU AND GYANESH KUMAR?
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar are retired IAS officers from the 1988 batch. While Sandhu hails from the Uttarakhand cadre of IAS, Kumar originates from the Kerala cadre.
Sandhu has previously held significant government positions, including Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand and chairman of the National Highways Authority of India. Kumar has served as secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation under Amit Shah’s leadership.
The appointment of the two officers to the positions of Election Commissioners comes a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petitions challenging the selection process.
Under the current process, a search committee led by the Law Minister compiles a shortlist. Subsequently, a selection panel led by the Prime Minister and comprising the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and a Union Minister finalize the choice.
In March last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the panel must include the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. However, thereafter, the Centre enacted a law to substitute the Chief Justice with a Union Minister, tilting the process in favor of the Centre.
The Association for Democratic Reforms and Congress leader Jaya Thakur have challenged the process in the Supreme Court, and the matter is scheduled for hearing on Friday.
