Former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Picked As Election Commissioners

Former IAS officers Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been appointed as election commissioners by a panel led by Prime Minister Modi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, told reporters today.

Sandhu and Kumar are retired IAS officers of the 1988 batch. Sandhu hails from the Uttarakhand cadre of IAS, whereas Kumar is from the Kerala cadre. Sandhu brings with him extensive experience, having held prominent governmental roles such as Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand and chairman of the National Highways Authority of India. Kumar, on the other hand, has served as secretary in both the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation led by Amit Shah.

Their appointment to the Election Commissioner positions comes just a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petitions challenging the selection process.

Under the current process, a search committee led by the Law Minister compiles a shortlist of candidates. Subsequently, a selection panel chaired by the Prime Minister, and comprising the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha along with a Union Minister, makes the final decision.

The Supreme Court had previously mandated that the panel include the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. However, the Centre subsequently introduced legislation to replace the Chief Justice with a Union Minister, effectively skewing the process in favour of the Centre.

The Association for Democratic Reforms and Congress leader Jaya Thakur have challenged this process in the Supreme Court, with the matter set to be heard tomorrow.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was part of the panel alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, emphasised his concern over the absence of the Chief Justice of India in the selection committee. He criticised the recent law that replaced the Chief Justice with a Union Minister, claiming that it had rendered the committee’s deliberations merely a formality, heavily biased towards the government’s preferences.

Expressing his frustration, Chowdhury revealed that he was presented with a list of 212 names for review last night, leaving him with insufficient time to thoroughly assess the candidates. Despite his request for a shortlist, he was only given one just 10 minutes before the meeting. It had only six names. This, he argued, made it virtually impossible for him to adequately evaluate the suitability of the candidates within such a short timeframe.

Chowdhury said that it seemed predetermined that the chosen candidates would be appointed. However, he asserted that he had attempted to intervene in a constructive manner to strengthen the integrity of the institution, evident in his persistent requests for a manageable shortlist. Ultimately, he registered a dissent note, challenging the procedural flaws in the selection process.

Chowdhury also commented on the recent resignation of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner, which has ignited controversy. “When Mr Goel was appointed, the Supreme Court had made a ‘lightning speed’ remark. He came with a lightning speed and left with digital speed,” he said.