EC panics on SC ruling, Centre takes own time

The Centre and the Election Commission are on a collision course on the question of meeting the Supreme Court’s July 1 deadline to make...

The Centre and the Election Commission are on a collision course on the question of meeting the Supreme Court’s July 1 deadline to make it mandatory for candidates to disclose their financial, educational and criminal record.

This is because of the date on which Law Minister Arun Jaitley plans to hold a meeting with all parties to discuss the viability of the disclosures demanded by the apex court. In a letter he wrote today to the parties, Jaitley said the meeting will be on July 8, a whole week after the Supreme Court deadline.

The belated all-party meeting will render the EC vulnerable to the charge of violating the SC verdict because the onus of meeting the July 1 deadline is on the commission and not the Government.

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On May 2, a three-judge bench led by Justice M.B. Shah gave two months to EC to draw up ‘‘the norms and modalities to carry out and give effect’’ to its directions aimed at providing more information to the voters about the candidates.

Jaitley therefore wrote to the EC as well advising CEC J.M. Lyngdoh to seek more time from the apex court so that the Government can try and evolve an all-party consensus on this sensitive issue.

Both letters — the one to parties and the other to EC — follow yesterday’s Cabinet decision to consult political parties on the commission’s proposal that the Government should amend the format of the nomination papers in the light of the court verdict.

The commission first made the proposal to the Centre within 10 days of the May 2 judgment. Having failed to elicit any response, the commission wrote to the Government this month reminding it about the July 1 deadline.

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As a result of today’s developments, the commission may adopt the Government’s line and ask the court to put the issue on hold till political parties arrive at a consensus. This, however, may not cut much ice with the apex court. A more likely option is that before July 1, the commission will issue a notification under Article 324 of the Constitution.