New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday listed hearing of the pleas, challenging the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, on March 15.
On March 11, Congress leader Jaya Thakur moved the apex court, seeking to restrain the Centre from appointing the top poll body officials as per the new law, which dropped the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel of Election Commissioners. The plea was mentioned for urgent listing by his senior advocate Vikas Sigh and advocate Varun Thakur.
Two more pleas were filed in the Supreme Court earlier this year challenging validity of the new law enacted in December, 2023.
This hearing assumes significance as the EC is presently with just one member Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar after ‘abrupt’ resignation of Arun Goel on March 9 and retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February.
The selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet on March 14 to choose two names for filling vacancies in the Election Commission, sources said.