The Supreme Court on August 4 dismissed a petition challenging the appointment of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner.
A Bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna declined to issue notice in the petition filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) while observing that a Constitution Bench of the court had considered the issue of Mr. Goel’s appointment and had eventually decided not to quash it.
In March, a Constitution Bench had laid down that the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners should be appointed by the President on the advice tendered by a committee of Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or the leader of the single largest party in Opposition and the Chief Justice of India. The five-judge Bench had observed that what the Election Commission of India required were “honest, independent” Commissioners who could distinguish right from wrong, those who could “ordinarily and unrelentingly take on the high and mighty and persevere in the righteous path”.
