New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the fresh appointments to the Election Commission of India, made under the legislation which excludes the Chief Justice of India from the process of appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the other Election
Commissioners.
"Normally, we don’t stay a legislation by an interim order," observed a Bench, headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, as it heard a bunch of applications seeking to restrain the Centre from filling the vacancies in the poll panel in accordance with the Chief Election Commissioner and the other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Condition of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
The Act provides that the CEC and the ECs will be appointed by the President on the recommendation of a Selection Committee consisting of the PM, the Leader of the Opposition (or the largest opposition party) in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the PM.
During the hearing, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for a PIL litigant, claimed that the scheduled meeting of the PM-led selection committee was advanced to Thursday after the apex court on Wednesday agreed to urgently list the matter for hearing on Friday.
