Gyanesh Kumar Appointed as New Chief Election Commissioner Amidst Controversy
• Gyanesh Kumar, a former Indian Administrative Service officer, has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner of India, succeeding Rajiv Kumar, effective February 19, 2025.
• This appointment follows a meeting of a three-member committee comprising the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Leader of the Opposition, despite the Congress party's objections and a pending Supreme Court case challenging the new law governing the selection process.
• The Congress party criticized the new law, claiming it creates a partisan mechanism for selecting Election Commissioners, arguing it violates a previous Supreme Court ruling that mandated the inclusion of the Chief Justice of India in the selection panel.
• Kumar's appointment marks the first time a CEC has been selected under the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which replaced the previous system of presidential appointment based on government recommendations.