"Executive Controlling Everything": Top Court On Poll Body Chief Selection The Supreme Court on Thursday addressed a contentious issue regarding the appointment process for the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, raising questions about the exclusion of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the selection panel. The court's focus centered on the disparity in the composition of the committee responsible for choosing the Chief Election Commissioner compared to the one for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director. During the hearing, Justice Dipankar Datta highlighted the apparent contradiction in the selection mechanisms. While the CJI is included in the committee for appointing the CBI director, the same individual is excluded from the panel tasked with selecting the Chief Election Commissioner. Datta posed pointed questions about the rationale behind this distinction, emphasizing the lack of an independent member in the latter panel. "Why shouldn't there be an independent member? Why should it be from the ministry?" the judge asked, noting that the current process allows the Prime Minister to select one member and the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) to choose another, with the third member leaning toward the LoP. The attorney general, R Venkataramani, responded by stating he would not speculate on the matter, deferring to the executive's discretion. Datta countered by accusing the executive of wielding unchecked authority, declaring, "Then it is the executive who is controlling everything." The bench further observed that decisions in such appointments would likely be determined by a 2:1 majority, with the cabinet minister unlikely to challenge the Prime Minister's stance.#prime_minister #supreme_court #central_bureau_of_investigation #chief_election_commissioner #justice_dipankar_datta
