Rahul Gandhi Today (Feb 18) criticizes the Modi government’s decision to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner, calling it a violation of the Supreme Court’s orders. He highlights concerns over an independent election process and urges accountability.
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NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, strongly disagreed with the decision to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner on Tuesday. He criticised the Narendra Modi government’s move to “remove” the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the selection committee.
Rahul Gandhi, who is a member of the committee, emphasized that for India’s electoral process to remain honest, the Election Commission must be independent and free from any influence by the executive (government).
“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 Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner,”
-Rahul Gandhi posted on X.
According to Rahul Gandhi, by excluding the CJI from the selection committee, the government violated a Supreme Court order and broke the trust of millions of voters. He expressed that, as the Leader of the Opposition, it is his duty to ensure the government is held accountable and that the principles laid down by India’s founding leaders are respected.
“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.”
“As the LoP it is my duty to uphold the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the founding leaders of our nation and hold the government to account,”
-he added.
Rahul Gandhi also pointed out that the decision made by the Prime Minister (PM) and Home Minister (HM) to select the new Chief Election Commissioner in a hurried manner was disrespectful and inconsiderate. This happened at a time when the composition of the selection committee and the election process were being challenged in the Supreme Court, which was set to hear the case within 48 hours.
“It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours,”
-he added.
The Congress party also strongly condemned the government’s quick decision to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the Chief Election Commissioner. They called it a “hasty midnight move” that undermines the spirit of the Constitution and the integrity of free elections.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal further criticized the decision, stating that the appointment should have been postponed until the Supreme Court made its ruling. He emphasized that the election process must remain pure and that the Chief Election Commissioner must be impartial.
Despite these objections, the government moved forward with the appointment and officially confirmed Gyanesh Kumar as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner. This appointment came just before the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear a petition that challenged both the selection process and the structure of the committee responsible for appointing election commissioners.
The Controversy
The controversy centres around the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which established a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and a Union cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
This composition has been challenged in the Supreme Court, with critics arguing that it grants the government undue influence over the Election Commission.
Gyanesh Kumar, a retired Indian administrative service officer from the Kerala cadre, previously served as the cooperation secretary of India and has held various significant positions within the government.
His appointment as CEC is set to take effect on February 19, 2025, following the retirement of Rajiv Kumar.
The Supreme Court to hear the challenge to the appointment process on February 19, 2025.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on CJI Sanjeev Khanna
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