No proposal for collegium for appointing ECs, CAG: Govt

Government today said it has no proposal to set up a collegium system for appointment of Election Commissioners and the Comptroller and Auditror General, in a rejection of proposal by BJP leader LK Advani.

Government today said it has no proposal to set up a collegium system for appointment of Election Commissioners and the Comptroller and Auditror General, in a rejection of proposal by BJP leader LK Advani.

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Law Minister Salman Khurshid told the Lok Sabha that it does not propose to set up any collegium for appointment of the Election Commissioners and the CAG.

He said BJP leader LK Advani and CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta had recently suggested constitution of a collegium/committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, Leaders of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha for the selection of the Election Commissioners and the Comptroller and Auditor General.

He said the existing system of the appointment of EC and CAG has been working successfully and there has been "no cause of concern" regarding their impartiality and professionalism, irrespective of the government under which they get appointed.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently, Advani had suggested introducing a broad-based collegium system to appoint ECs and CAG claiming that the present selection process is vulnerable to "manipulation and partisanship."

He had said the present system, under which members to the Election Commission are appointed by the President "solely on the advice of the Prime Minister, does not evoke confidence among the people."