The Supreme Court bench, led by Justice KM Joseph, has refused to hear a plea challenging the appointment of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner. Instead, the court has asked an NGO called the ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’ to show which rules were violated. The court said that after someone is appointed to a constitutional post, we cannot presume that they will act unfairly.
The petition relied on a March 2 verdict of the apex court that stated the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and ECs will be done by the President on the recommendation of a committee comprising the PM, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and the CJI.
During the hearing, the advocate for the NGO said that Goel’s appointment was mala fide and arbitrary. The selection process adopted by the government was questionable. The court noted that it was mystified as to how Goel applied for voluntary retirement on November 18 last year if he was not aware of his appointment as an Election Commissioner.
The bench has recused from hearing this plea and has asked for it to be listed before another bench.
