Watch | How were the new Election Commissioners selected, and why is the new law being criticized?
The Hindu
A video explaining the old and new process of appointment of election commissioners and why the new law is being criticized and the Supreme Court angle
On March 14, two retired bureaucrats, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, were appointed as Election Commissioners, just two days ahead of the announcement of the dates of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
They are now part of the three member Election Commission of India panel, headed by Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner.
The two officials are the first to be appointed under the new law governing appointments to the constitutional body, the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
What is the new law?
Under the new law, the two commissioners were selected by a three-member Selection Committee, comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Leader of the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, as leader of the largest party in the Opposition.
They were chosen out of a shortlisted panel of six names. The shortlisting was done by a search committee which, according to the Act, is headed by the Union Minister for Law and Justice and includes two officials of the rank of Secretary to the government.
What was the process before this?
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