Advani: Involve Opposition in appointment of ECs too

Senior BJP leader LK Advani on Sunday demanded the Opposition should be involved in the appointment of Election Commissioners, as happens in the case of a CVC.

Senior BJP leader LK Advani on Sunday demanded the Opposition should be involved in the appointment of Election Commissioners, as happens in the case of a CVC.

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In the latest post on his blog, Advani said it would be very appropriate and a step towards strengthening democracy if the Supreme Court’s 1998 decision followed in the RTI Act was also incorporated in the case of the Election Commission.

He said the move will not need a constitutional amendment and can be done by an ordinary enactment. "The earlier it is done the better. "

Referring to the Supreme Court quashing the appointment of PJ Thomas as the CVC, Advani said the first major attempt to control corruption was also made by the Supreme Court in 1998, when in the Vineet Narain case, justice JS Verma, justice SP Bharucha and justice SC Jain delivered a judgment due to which the CVC became a statutory body charged with superintendence of the CBI.

BJP demands PM’s apology on Thomas

Meanwhile, slamming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of appointment of Thomas’s appointment as CVC, which was quashed by the Supreme Court, BJP on Sunday demanded he should explain the circumstances behind the appointment.