With Nearly No Oppn, Lok Sabha Passes CEC Bill To Appoint Top Poll Officials

Lok Sabha has cleared The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.

CEC, EC Appointments and Service Terms Bill cleared from Lok Sabha. ( Image Source :PTI )

Parliament Winter Session: The Lok Sabha on Thursday cleared The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, days after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the bill. With the Winter Session ending on Friday, the government has a list of bills on its agenda to clear Parliament hurdle amidst empty opposition benches. 143 opposition MPs have been suspended from Parliament since after the security breach in Lok Sabha on Dec 13. The opposition leaders have been demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the lapse.

The bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on Dec 12 as the opposition staged a walkout questioning the Centre's motive behind the bill. The legislation, introduced on August 10, aims to regulate the appointment and service terms of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) and replaces the 1991 Act, which lacked provisions related to their appointments.

Twelve MPs shared their views on the bill with the majority of them supporting it. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the bill saying that it has been brought by the Centre so that it can control them. He also said the bill creates a trust deficit in the eyes of people.

Speaking over the Bill,  Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal clarified that the government is not working against the Supreme Court's directions as far as the appointment of top poll officials is concerned. 

Earlier, while speaking in Rajya Sabha last week, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal highlighted the significant changes introduced by the bill, stating, "Until now, the names of the appointees were decided by the government, but now a search and selection committee has also been constituted, and the matter related to salary has also been introduced through an amendment in the bill."

The amendment includes the payment of salaries equivalent to that of a Supreme Court judge for CEC and ECs, PTI reported sources as saying.