Why in News
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to urgently hear on Friday a plea which said the Centre could take “unfair advantage” while filling the two vacancies of Election Commissioners (ECs) in the Election Commission of India (ECI) following the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
A Bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna agreed to list for hearing the plea by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, which said the new law on the appointments of ECs should be put on hold.
How Election Commissioners (ECs) are selected
Article 324 provides for the composition of the Election Commission of India.
It consists of the CEC and two other ECs.
The Constitution provides that the appointment of the CEC and EC shall, subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, be made by the President.
While the existing parliamentary law provides for their conditions of service, it is silent with respect to appointments.
How Election Commissioners (ECs) are selected
The appointments till date are made by the President, that is the Central Government and there is no mechanism for ensuring independence during the appointment process.
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