Jaya Thakur vs Union of India - 2024 Supreme(SC) 274

Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation

2024 Supreme(SC) 274

SANJIV KHANNA, DIPANKAR DATTA
Jaya Thakur – Appellant
Versus
Union of India – Respondent

Advocates appeared:
For the Petitioner(s):Mr. Prashant Bhushan, AOR Mrs. Suroor Mander, Adv. Mrs. Cheryl D’souza, Adv. Mr. Rahul Gupta, Adv. Ms. Ananya Kumar, Adv. Petitioner-in-person Mr. Varun Thakur, Adv. Mr. Deepak Goel, Adv. Mrs. Tanuj Bagga Sharma, Adv. Dr. M.K. Ravi, Adv. Mr. Denson Joseph, Adv. M/s. Varun Thakur & Associates, AOR Mr. Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Adv. Mr. Vishal Thakre, Adv. Mr. Gopal Singh, Adv. Mr. Aryan P Nanda, Adv. Mr. Aditya Yadav, Adv. Mr. Sanjeev Malhotra, AOR Mr. Sanjay Parikh, Sr. Adv. Ms. Aparna Bhat, AOR Ms. Karishma Maria, Adv.
For the Respondent(s): Mr. Tushar Mehta, SG Mr. Arvind Kumar Sharma, AOR Mr. Ankit Agarwal, AOR Mr. Atul Raj, Adv. Mr. Ashish Shukla, Adv. Mr. Mohammed Sadique T.A., AOR Mr. Kaleeswaram Raj, Adv. Ms. Thulasi K. Raj, Adv. Ms. Aparna Menon, Adv. Ms. Chinnu Maria Antony, Adv. Mr. R.P. Gupta, AOR Mr. Prashant Padmanabhan, AOR

ORDER :

1. This order records reasons and decides the applications for stay of selection and appointment of the Election Commissioners¹ [For short “EC”] in the writ petitions filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India² [For short “Constitution”] inter-alia, challenging the vires of Section 7(1) of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Act, 2023.³ [For short “2023 Act”]

2. The primary grounds of challenge are twofold. First, Section 7(1) of the 2023 Act dilutes, if not amends or modifies, the judgment of this Court’s Constitution Bench in Anoop Baranwal vs. Union of India, (2023) 6 SCC 161 by substituting the Chief Justice of India⁴ [For short “CJI”] with a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister in the Selection Committee for the post of the Chief Election Commissioner⁵ [For short “CEC”] and the ECs. Secondly, the provision has a direct and potential impact on the conduct of transparent, free and fair elections, one of the foundational requirements of democracy.

3. That apart, the selection process of the ECs, as adopted in the present case, has been challenged on the ground of

Click Here to Read the rest of this document

2024 Supreme(SC) 274

SANJIV KHANNA, DIPANKAR DATTAJaya Thakur – AppellantVersusUnion of India – Respondent

Cases Referred (3)

SANJIV KHANNA, DIPANKAR DATTA
Jaya Thakur – Appellant
Versus
Union of India – Respondent