EC says dissenting views won’t be part of final order

On May 21, the EC had at a full commission meeting rejected with a majority vote election commissioner Ashok Lavasa’s demand that dissent notes should be recorded in orders that pertain to model code of conduct violations.

Dissenting views will not be part of the final orders issued by the poll panel, the Election Commission has said in a formal order issued on June 4.

Chief Election Commissioner (C) Sunil Arora with Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa (L) and CBDT Chairman Sushil Chandra (R) addressing a press conference in Lucknow. (ANI/ File photo)

With this, the commission has put to rest speculation over whether the dissenting view should be included in the final orders issued by the poll panel in cases related to violations of the model code of conduct (MCC).

The three-member commission was divided over the issue with chief election commissioner Sunil Arora and election commissioner Sushil Chandra of the opinion that since MCC violation orders were executive or administrative in nature, the scope to add a dissenting view, didn’t exist.

On May 21, the EC had at a full commission meeting rejected with a majority vote election commissioner Ashok Lavasa’s demand that dissent notes should be recorded in orders that pertain to model code of conduct violations.

At this meeting it was decided that all dissenting view will be recorded, but not disclosed as part of the final order.

Lavasa had recused himself from all meetings to decide cases related to MCC till the demand to include dissenting views in the final order was agreed to.