By NewsBlogger Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned, leaving the Election Commission with one member, amid concerns over timing and pending Supreme Court hearing on electoral bonds issue.
At a glance
- Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned on March 9, with President Droupadi Murmu accepting his resignation the same day.
- Mr. Goel’s resignation left the Election Commission with only one member, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
- The timing of Mr. Goel’s resignation raised questions due to the scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir and the impending Supreme Court hearing on electoral bonds.
- Vacancies in the Election Commission will be filled according to the new Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.
- The State Bank of India requested an extension from the Supreme Court to submit data related to electoral bonds, sparking disappointment among the Constitutional Conduct Group.
The details
Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned on March 9, with President Droupadi Murmu accepting his resignation the same day.
Mr. Goel, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, had joined the Election Commission on November 21, 2022, with his tenure expected to continue until 2027. His resignation left the Election Commission with only one member, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, following the retirement of Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in February.
The timing of Mr. Goel’s resignation raised questions as it coincided with the Commission’s scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir from March 11 to March 13 and the impending Supreme Court hearing on the electoral bonds issue.
The Congress party expressed concerns over the resignation, especially considering the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) had previously filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging Mr. Goel’s appointment.
ADR chairman Trilochan Shastry expressed satisfaction with Mr. Goel’s decision to step down.
The vacancies in the Election Commission will be filled in accordance with the new Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023. This Act specifies that a selection committee led by the Prime Minister will appoint the members of the commission.
The Act was enacted following a Supreme Court ruling in March 2023, which stated that the selection panel should comprise the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Chief Justice of India.
Previously, the President appointed Election Commissioners and Chief Election Commissioners based on government recommendations.
Mr. Goel, who superannuated as Secretary of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, was born in 1962 in Patiala, Punjab, and holds a postgraduate degree in development economics from Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England.
He has also received training at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, U.S.
In a separate development, the State Bank of India (SBI) requested an extension from the Supreme Court to submit data related to electoral bonds.
This request came after the Supreme Court had annulled the electoral bonds scheme on February 15, directing SBI to provide information regarding the bonds to the Election Commission by March 6. SBI sought an extension until June 30 to disclose the details, citing manual record-keeping despite being a technologically advanced bank.
The delay in furnishing the data sparked disappointment among the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), which accused SBI of shielding the government from criticism by withholding the information.
The CCG urged the Election Commission to compel SBI to release the details promptly and withhold the announcement of the general election schedule until the information is provided.
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| thehindu.com |
|---|
| – Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned on March 9 – His resignation was accepted by President Droupadi Murmu with effect from March 9 – Mr. Goel’s tenure was till 2027 – Election Commission now has only one member, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar – Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey retired in February – Mr. Goel was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre – He joined the EC on November 21, 2022 |
| – His resignation came just days before the expected announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule – The Commission was scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir from March 11 to March 13 |
| The development occurred two days before a crucial hearing of the Supreme Court on the electoral bonds issue – Congress party expressed concern over Mr. Goel’s resignation – Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) had filed a PIL challenging Mr. Goel’s appointment – The top court had refused to interfere with the appointment – ADR chairman Trilochan Shastry expressed happiness over Mr. Goel’s resignation – Vacancies in the EC will be filled according to the new Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023 – Act provisions state that a selection committee headed by the Prime Minister will select the members of the commission – Supreme Court ruled in March 2023 that the selection panel should comprise the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Chief Justice of India – Election Commissioners and Chief Election Commissioners were previously appointed by the President on government recommendation – Last Election Commissioner to resign was Ashok Lavasa in 2020 – Mr. Goel superannuated as Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industry – He was born in 1962 in Patiala, Punjab – Mr. Goel is a postgraduate in development economics from Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England – He has been trained at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, U.S. |
| thehindu.com |
|---|
| – State Bank of India requested an extension from the Supreme Court to submit data on electoral bonds – Former civil servants asked the Election Commission not to announce the schedule for Lok Sabha polls until SBI shares the information – The Supreme Court scrapped the electoral bonds scheme on February 15 – SBI was directed to furnish data regarding the electoral bonds to the Election Commission by March 6 – SBI requested an extension until June 30 to disclose the details of the bonds – The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG) expressed disappointment that SBI took 17 days to inform the Supreme Court that they could not collate the data by March 6 – SBI claimed records were kept manually, despite being a large bank with high levels of digitization – SBI requested over ₹60 lakh for development of IT systems for the electoral bonds scheme in June 2018 – Union Finance Secretary at the time said it should not take more than 10 minutes to get the information sought |
| – The CCG believes that SBI is shielding the government from criticism by not releasing the information before the general election – The CCG urged the EC to direct SBI to release the information immediately and not announce the schedule for the general election until it is furnished |
