New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI) Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien on Friday said doubts will be raised about a tacit understanding between the executive and the CEC if the notice sent seeking the removal of Gyanesh Kumar is not taken up by the Union government.
The Opposition parties have submitted a notice seeking a motion for the removal of Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner.
In a blog, the TMC leader said the members of the Opposition are using every constitutional tool available to protect the sanctity of India’s institutions.
He said the Constitution prescribes that the CEC can be removed from his office on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court, that is, for “proved misbehaviour or incapacity.” “The term ‘proved misbehaviour’ has been interpreted to include deliberate abuse of powers, partisan exercise of constitutional functions favouring one political formation over others, and actions that undermine public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the CEC, amongst other attributes,” O’Brien said.
He pointed out that in the last 75 years, India has had 25 chief election commissioners.
“Neither House of Parliament has ever brought a removal motion against the CEC. Never. Is the current CEC all set to hold a dubious record?” he said.
Remembering the “glorious past” of the poll panel, the TMC Rajya Sabha leader mentioned the first general election conducted by the first chief election commissioner, Sukumar Sen, which involved over 170 million voters despite widespread illiteracy and difficult terrain.
He also mentioned former CEC S Y Quraishi, who expanded voter awareness through the SVEEP programme and addressed issues like paid news, and Sunil Arora, who built a database of over 930 million electors and introduced a nationwide helpline.
O’Brien recalled that in 1991, there was an uproar in Parliament to remove T N Seshan as the CEC, but no formal notice was ever filed, and in 2006, the BJP-NDA submitted a memorandum seeking the removal of Navin Chawla as an Election Commissioner, but no Parliamentary process was initiated.
As many as 130 Lok Sabha MPs and 63 Rajya Sabha MPs have signed the notice seeking a motion for the removal of Kumar, a source said a date earlier. PTI AO VN VN
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