Opposition claims victory after SC’s CEC verdict, but Advani sought similar panel in 2012
The Supreme Court junked the prevailing machine of appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners and stated a high-powered committee might finalise the applicants. Several Opposition leaders claimed this as a victory towards the authorities. But a lesser-recognized truth is that BJP chief LK Advani had greater than a decade in the past sponsored this kind of panel for the appointment of the pinnacle officers to the ballot body.
Opposition leaders hailed the Supreme Court`s Thursday verdict as a “victory for democracy”. The Supreme Court had ordered that the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners could be appointed with the aid of using a high-powered committee which includes the high minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India.
The Supreme Court stated this exercise of appointment of election commissioners might be in pressure until a regulation on this regard became made with the aid of using Parliament. DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin hailed the Supreme Court’s selection and stated its well timed intervention became essential for protective the independence of the Election Commission of India. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee known as the Supreme Court’s order a “democratic victory”.
“It must now no longer manifest like CBI & CEC in which they, regardless of dissent, deliver their personal applicants, however it’s miles higher than nothing,” stated Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Though the Opposition leaders have been short to capture the possibility to reveal the Supreme Court’s judgment as a setback for the authorities, the fact is the problem of putting in place a machine for appointment of the CEC has been putting hearthplace for the reason that Constitution became promulgated.
In truth, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, Dr BR Ambedkar, expressed his apprehensions to the Constituent Assembly over the appointment of an “not worthy character” because the CEC or election commissioners. During the Constituent Assembly debates, what got here up became the character to be appointed CEC or EC must experience the self assurance of all political events and be accepted with the aid of using a two-thirds majority in each Houses of Parliament.
Dr Ambedkar moved an modification and inserted a line that the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners will be made with the aid of using the President “difficulty to the provisions of any regulation made on this behalf with the aid of using Parliament”. That regulation became in no way passed.
The Congress-led UPA authorities had in 2005 installation the Second Administrative Reforms Commission below the chairmanship of Veerappa Moily to redesign the general public administrative machine. The Veerappa Moily fee in its record in 2007 advocated that a panel led with the aid of using the high minister and which includes the chief of the competition withinside the Lok Sabha pick the applicants to be appointed the CEC and EC.
Referring to the Veerappa Moily fee record, BJP chief LK Advani had in 2012 written to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in search of a panel for the appointment of the CEC and ECs. LK Advani stated that the machine in which the President appointed the pinnacle individuals of the election fee failed to evoke self assurance a number of the people.
Advani, who became then the BJP Parliamentary Party chairman, batted for a panel, comprising the PM, Chief Justice of India, the regulation minister and the leaders of Opposition in each the Houses, to pick the leader election commissioner and the election commissioners.
