New Delhi: President Pratibha Patil on Sunday rejected Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalaswami’s recommendation for removal of Naveen Chawla as EC.
In the first month of this year, Gopalaswami had forwarded a suo moto request to Patil demanding the removal of Chawla from the post, accusing him of partisanship.
A Rashtrapati Bhawan communique said President Pratibha Patil has accepted the government recommendation for rejection of the CEC’s report against Chawla and arrived at a “considered opinion”.
“The government has recommended that the CEC’s report and the recommendation to remove Navin Chawla from the post of Election Commissioner may be rejected.”
“The President, after careful consideration of the report of the CEC, the government’s recommendation, constitutional provisions and the Supreme Court judgement, arrived at a considered opinion and has accepted the recommendation of the government,” Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesperson Archana Dutta said.
The confusion over Chawla’s stay as EC had to be cleared prior to the announcement of upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Reports claim that election dates could be announced in a couple of days, after Chawla resumes work following a leave taken due to some health problem.
Earlier, the BJP had also accused Chawla of being biased and close to Congress, and had asked the then President APJ Abdul Kalam to remove him from the Election Commission under Article 324(5), which the later forwarded to the Prime Minister. The BJP also sent a copy to the CEC as well.
Gopalaswami, in his affidavit to the apex court, had claimed that the CEC had suo motu power to recommend the removal of an Election Commissioner. Following this, the BJP withdrew its petition in the apex court and again took up the issue with the CEC.
The government had maintained in the Supreme Court that the CEC had no suo motu power to remove an Election Commissioner.
Chawla had last year raised serious objections to the holding of the Karnataka Assembly Elections in May but was over ruled.
Similarly, he is believed to have also had reservations over the conduct of Assembly Elections of Uttar Pradesh in the summer of 2007.
Gopalaswami’s term as CEC expires on April 20, and Chawla is most likely to take over from him.
Source: www.nhatky.in
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