SC denies stay on new law for CEC, ECs appointment

A bench agreed to examine petitions challenging new law. File pic

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the new law that provides for appointment of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners by a panel excluding the Chief Justice of India. The bench, however, agreed to examine a batch of petitions challenging new law and issued notice to Centre.

The bench asked senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Congress leader Jaya Thakur, who sought a stay on the new law, to serve a copy of the petition to the Centre's counsel. "Please stay this law. This is against the separation of powers," Singh said.

The bench told Singh, "No, without hearing the other side, we can't. We will issue a notice." Several petitions have been filed in the apex court amid a political row over dropping the chief justice of India (CJI) from a panel empowered to choose the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners (ECs). Adv. Gopal Singh has also moved the top court, seeking quashing of the new law that accords the central government sweeping powers.

SC rejects plea on Women's Reservation

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea filed by an advocate seeking urgent and time-bound implementation of the women's reservation law to ensure 33 per cent quota for them in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, however, granted liberty to the advocate Yogamaya MG to file an intervention petition in a pending PIL filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur.

"Look, we don't want multiplicity of litigation in the matter. You file an intervention application in the petition filed by Jaya Thakur," the bench said. Counsel appearing for Yogamaya requested the court to allow the petitioner to withdraw the petition.

The bench agreed to the submission and allowed it to be withdrawn. The plea by Thakur is likely to be listed on January 16. The petition filed by Yogamaya contended there is an urgent need for timely implementation of the new law in the upcoming general elections because, without expeditious action, its intended benefits for women in the political arena will be lost.

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