New Delhi: Citing two "unwarranted episodes"
including the demand by his predecessor for his removal, CEC
Navin Chawla has written to the government urging for an early
amendment of the Constitution to give protection to Election
Commissioners against arbitrary sacking.
He has written to the Prime Minister that Election
Commissioners should also enjoy protection from the
Constitution, now available to the CEC.
"The Commission strongly feels that so long as the
provisions of Article 324 (5) stands as they are, recurrence
of episodes of the nature described above cannot be ruled out
in future, against bringing into serious disrepute and shaking
the confidence of the millions of citizens in the integrity
and neutrality of the Commission," Chawla said in the letter.
The CEC will demit office in July.
The letter was provided by the Election Commission in
reply to an RTI application by Subhash Chandra Agrawal.
Chawla urged the Prime Minister to bestow personal
attention in the matter so that the independence of the
Election Commission was further strengthened in free and
fair elections and democracy.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 13:43