The Election Commission of India is the supreme body as far as elections are concerned. The body is responsible for preparing the election schedule and holding elections as per the schedule. However, as a strange trend, the EC has been under a big scanner of late and it is facing many questions.
The appointments in Election Commission are facing many questions and the opposition parties are alleging that the officers are being appointed who favour the Bharatiya Janata Party. The recent decisions of the poll body are adding fuel to this. The recent Shiv Sena is an example.
The Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena showdown resulted in Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's camp getting the party name and election symbol of bow and arrow. The election commission took the decision as the majority of MLAs are with Eknath Shinde.
Amid this, the issue of appointments in the Election Commission reached the Supreme Court. The bench of the Supreme Court comprising five judges led by Justice KM Joseph heard the petition and gave a sensational verdict on the appointment process.
The Supreme Court bench said that the independence of the election commission is the key factor and a special panel should be constituted to recommend the names. The committee would have three members and the names would be finalised by the President of India.
The sensational verdict says that the top officers in the Election Commission will be appointed as per the recommendations of a three-member panel including the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India. If there is no Leader Of the opposition, then the leader of the largest Opposition party in the House will be appointed as the panel member.
The President of India will look into the recommendations and appoint key officers. Political experts say that the verdict is a big blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party as it cannot appoint the officers to the election commission as it did earlier. The three members should accept the names of the officers which will be approved by the President of India in the end.
The appointments in Election Commission are facing many questions and the opposition parties are alleging that the officers are being appointed who favour the Bharatiya Janata Party. The recent decisions of the poll body are adding fuel to this. The recent Shiv Sena is an example.
The Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena showdown resulted in Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's camp getting the party name and election symbol of bow and arrow. The election commission took the decision as the majority of MLAs are with Eknath Shinde.
Amid this, the issue of appointments in the Election Commission reached the Supreme Court. The bench of the Supreme Court comprising five judges led by Justice KM Joseph heard the petition and gave a sensational verdict on the appointment process.
The Supreme Court bench said that the independence of the election commission is the key factor and a special panel should be constituted to recommend the names. The committee would have three members and the names would be finalised by the President of India.
The sensational verdict says that the top officers in the Election Commission will be appointed as per the recommendations of a three-member panel including the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India. If there is no Leader Of the opposition, then the leader of the largest Opposition party in the House will be appointed as the panel member.
The President of India will look into the recommendations and appoint key officers. Political experts say that the verdict is a big blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party as it cannot appoint the officers to the election commission as it did earlier. The three members should accept the names of the officers which will be approved by the President of India in the end.