New Delhi: Amid demands for removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday clarified that if the opposition brings a fresh impeachment motion against him, it will be considered under parliamentary rules and prescribed procedure. He said that after the proposal comes in Parliament, action will be taken as per rules.
This statement of Om Birla has come at a time when opposition parties are raising questions on the Election Commission regarding the Special Intensive Revision or SIR of voter lists. The opposition alleges that there have been irregularities in this process. Regarding this issue, opposition leaders have intensified their demand for action against Gyanesh Kumar and his removal from the post.
What did Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla say?
When journalists asked Om Birla whether the opposition could bring another impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner, he said that if a new notice comes, it will be looked into as per the rules and procedures.
Birla also clarified that there is a prescribed procedure for removing the Chief Election Commissioner from the post and it will be followed. At present his statement means that a decision on any new proposal will be taken only when it formally comes before the Parliament.
Attempts to remove it have already been made twice?
The opposition has already tried twice to remove Gyanesh Kumar from the post. For the first time, notices given in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were not accepted. The opposition then gave another notice in the Rajya Sabha with new grounds, which is pending in the Upper House as per available reports.
The opposition says that serious questions have been raised on the functioning of the Election Commission and the decisions related to SIR. However, acceptance of a proposal and its going forward depends on parliamentary rules and prescribed conditions.
Why did the controversy increase regarding SIR?
There has been a dispute between the opposition and the Election Commission for some time regarding the special intensive revision of voter lists. Opposition parties have alleged irregularities in the process and demanded accountability of the Chief Election Commissioner.
The controversy escalated further when a report in The Indian Express claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had filed objections on SIR-related decisions and orders at least 14 times in the last 10 months. According to the report, these objections raised questions about some decisions being issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
However, the Election Commission has rejected claims of differences or disagreement over its decisions, saying that the decisions related to SIR were taken with the consent of the three commissioners. In such a situation, it is important to keep in mind both the allegations of the opposition and the position of the Election Commission in this dispute.
What will happen next now?
If the opposition formally presents a new proposal, its acceptance and further action will be decided in accordance with prescribed parliamentary procedure. The process of removal of the Chief Election Commissioner is done under constitutional provisions and for this special condition has to be fulfilled.
At present, Om Birla has said that instead of giving advance decision on any new proposal, action will be taken as per the rules. Now everyone’s eyes will be on when and on what grounds the opposition presents a new notice and what procedure is followed in the Parliament.
