- Bureaucrats Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been chosen for the two vacant posts in the top panel of the Election Commission of India.
- Congress’s leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told the media this afternoon.
- Chowdhury criticized the composition of the panel, lamenting the absence of the Chief Justice of India.
- Chowdhury expressed frustration over the lack of transparency in the selection process, citing his limited time to review a list of 212 candidates before the meeting.
- He emphasized that the vast number of candidates provided for review within a short timeframe rendered the process impractical.
- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar, both retired IAS officers of the 1988 batch.
The selection of Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar as the two vacant posts in the top panel of the Election Commission of India has sparked controversy and criticism, highlighting concerns over the transparency and fairness of the process.
The announcement came from Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who revealed that the decision was made by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah also on board. However, Chowdhury criticized the composition of the panel, lamenting the absence of the Chief Justice of India, which, he argued, undermines the integrity of the selection process.
Chowdhury expressed frustration over the lack of transparency in the selection process, citing his limited time to review a list of 212 candidates before the meeting. He emphasized that the vast number of candidates provided for review within a short timeframe rendered the process impractical and raised doubts about the thoroughness of the selection.
Moreover, Chowdhury raised concerns about the abrupt resignation of Arun Goel, an Election Commissioner, implying a lack of stability and raising questions about the effectiveness of the selection criteria.
The controversy further deepened with the legal challenge mounted by the Association for Democratic Reforms and Congress leader Jaya Thakur in the Supreme Court. The challenge underscores broader concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the selection process, especially in light of recent changes that replaced the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister on the selection committee, thereby allegedly tilting the process in favor of the ruling government.
Adding to the controversy is the timing of the selection, just a day before the Supreme Court’s scheduled hearing on the matter, which could potentially cast doubt on the legitimacy of the appointments.
Regarding the newly appointed Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar, both retired IAS officers of the 1988 batch. Sandhu, hailing from the Uttarakhand cadre, has held significant government positions, including Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand and Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). On the other hand, Gyanesh Kumar, from the Kerala cadre, has served as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation led by Home Minister Amit Shah.
(With inputs from agencies)
