Supreme Court Directed Centre To Produce Files Related To Appointing Arun Goel As Election Commissioner
On November 23, 2022, the Supreme Court Directed Centre To Produce Files Related To Appointing Arun Goel As Election Commissioner. Former bureaucrat Arun Goel was chosen for the position on November 19. A Constitution bench led by Justice KM Joseph issued the directive. He gave the following while considering many petitions asking for guidance on how to guarantee the streamlined independence of the election panel.
“Hanky Panky” During The Appointment
Supreme court bench, led by Justice KM Joseph, expresses their desire to learn whether the appointment involved any “hanky panky.” It’s because Goel was only appointed to the election body after his voluntary retirement.
Prashant Bhushan, an activist lawyer, brought up Arun Goel’s appointment as a group of petitions regarding the same procedure were being heard. In addition to the chief Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, Mr. Bhushan emphasized that Mr. Goel, a retired senior IAS officer, was added to the three-member Election Commission shortly after the broader issue was heard last week.
The court Is Willing To Understand The Mechanism
The Supreme Court has instructed Attorney General R Venkataramani to provide the documents pertaining to Goel’s appointment on Thursday after hearing from the petitioners. It’s because this appointment was set following the case session. If everything is “hunky-dory,” the court wants to know how it works.
Venkataramani first opposed the directive, saying the court cannot consider a particular instance because it is addressing the more significant problem of the appointment of ECs. He saw the court’s willingness to view the documents during a Constitution bench hearing as a significant issue.
However, the supreme court asserted that it began hearing arguments in the case on Thursday and that Goel’s appointment was announced on November 19. The court declared they are interested in knowing what led to the most recent position.
What Counsel Thinks Of The Matter
According to the Counsel, those picked to serve as Election Commissioners were retired individuals. On the other hand, Goel was a government secretary still in office. Bhushan said that on November 17, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case. Goel received his voluntary retirement on Friday.
Justice Observation: What He Felt
According to Justice Joseph, an employee must typically give three months’ notice to register for VRS. Bhushan challenged the Apex Court to seek the government for evidence, stating that he was unsure whether a warning was even served in this matter.
Although Attorney General R. Venkataramani vehemently refuted the criticisms leveled against the appointment, contending that Goel’s position was being “juxtaposed” into a case in which the Supreme Court was debating a more critical matter. He said that the appointment had not been planned.
To Conclude
The leader of the Constitution Bench, Justice KM Joseph, highlighted that if the screening process is handled correctly, as the administration claims, there is nothing to be concerned about. Hence the Supreme Court Directs the Centre To Produce Files Related To Appointing Arun Goel As Election Commissioner.
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