SC questions Centre over procedure adopted in appointment of new election commissioners
Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the Centre over the procedure adopted for the appointment of election commissioners and asked how six names were shortlisted from 200 within a few hours. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said the selection committee should have been given more time to apply its mind on the appointment of the election commissioners.
«For one vacancy, there were five names. For two, you send six names. Why not 10? This is the language of the statute — for one vacancy, five names have to be recommended. This appears from the record,» the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre.
«They (the search committee) can consider 200 names, but what is the time given, maybe two hours? Two hundred names to be considered in two hours? You could have been transparent,» it said.
Mehta pointed out that the two new election commissioners were among the six short-listed from a pool of 200 names suggested by a search panel.
«Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. We are dealing with the Representation of the People Act, which according to me, is the highest after the Constitution. Why leave any scope for the public to raise an eyebrow,» Justice Datta told Mehta.
Justice Datta further questioned Mehta about the reason behind advancing the process from March 15 to March 14.
«For selecting one (election commissioner), you keep on 15th and for selecting two, you have advanced the meeting to 14th? Why,» Justice Datta asked.
Mehta replied that the
