PM not obeying SC: Kejriwal slams Modi on bill to appoint CEC, ECs

A contentious bill tabled in Rajya Sabha that seeks to replace the Chief Justice of India with a cabinet minister in the panel to select chief election commissioner and election commissioners, has triggered an outcry from the Opposition on Thursday (August 10).

This Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, as it is called was moved by law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Upper House in the post-lunch session.

This goes against a Supreme Court judgment in March which has said the selection panel should comprise the prime minister, the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.

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Kejriwal attacks the Bill

Opposition parties including the Congress and AAP have raised strong objections to the bill and accused the government of diluting a Constitution bench order.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, strongly hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming the bill that seeks to regulate the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners, will influence the ‘fairness of elections’.

In a couple of long posts on X, Kejriwal also accused Modi of not following the Supreme Court order and said this is a “very dangerous situation”.

“I had already said that the prime minister does not obey the Supreme Court of the country. His message is clear – he will bring a law through the Parliament to overturn whichever Supreme Court order he does not like. It is a very dangerous situation if the prime minister does not follow the Supreme Court,” Kejriwal said on X.

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“The Supreme Court had formed an impartial committee which will select impartial election commissioners. The prime minister by overturning the Supreme Court has formed a committee that will be under his control and he could make a person of his liking election commissioner through it. It will influence impartiality of elections,” he said and alleged that “the prime minister is weakening Indian democracy through decision after decision”.

In another post, he wrote the committee proposed for selection of election commissioners will have “two BJP and one Congress members”. “Obviously the selected election commissioner will be loyal to the BJP,” AAP leader said.

The government has listed the bill for introduction to regulate the appointment, conditions of service and term of office of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.