Supreme Court dismisses petition challenging the appointment of Election Commissioner

New Delhi: The apex court on Friday dismissed the petition challenging the appointment of former bureaucrat Arun Goel to the post of Election Commissioner.

NGO Association for Democratic Reforms in April filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying that the appointment ‘arbitrary and violative of the institutional integrity and independence of the poll panel,' according to NDTV.

Responding to it, the court said that a Constitution Bench examined the appointment and the judgment could be not be applied ‘retrospectively’.

Expanding on it further, Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti of a bench pointed out that the Constitution Bench had not quashed the appointment while making certain observations.

In order to protect the poll body from political interference, the Constitution Bench ruled to appoint Election Commissioners by a panel of the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.

In the absence of Leader of Opposition, the bench directed to include in the panel the single largest opposition party.

Arun Goel, a1985-batch IAS officer, was appointed a day after he had voluntarily retired on November 18 last year.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court questioned the "tearing hurry" in the appointment of Goel.

‘Minister of Law picks up four names from the list of names shortlisted... The file was put up on November 18; moves the same day. Even PM recommends the name on the same day. We don't want any confrontation, but was this done in any haste? What's the tearing hurry,’ the court had asked.

Goel will become the next Chief Election Commissioner as Rajiv Kumar's term ends in 2025.