Plea filed in Supreme Court challenging CJI's exclusion from panel selecting ECs

A plea challenging the recently enacted law to govern the appointment and service conditions of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners has been filed in the apex court.

Filed by Congress' Jaya Thakur and others, the petition argues that the provisions of the law are violative of the principle of free and fair polls since it does not provide an "independent mechanism" for appointment of election commissioners.

The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, allows appointment to the posts of CEC and election commissioners by a selection committee comprising the prime minister, a Union Cabinet minister and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.


The law was passed by the Parliament last month and received the assent of the President on December 29.