04-14-2007, 06:34 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Govt faces SC flak </b>
Abraham Thomas | New Delhi
'Centre should have consulted CEC instead of AG'
Pioneer.com
NDA plea on Chawla
The UPA Government suffered a major loss of face in the Supreme Court on Friday over its decision not to consult the Chief Election Commissioner on the NDA petition seeking removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla.
Hitting out at the Centre's decision to consult the Attorney General instead of the CEC to dispose of an Opposition plea against Chawla, the Supreme Court Bench remarked, "The President has to seek opinion of the Chief Election Commissioner under Article 324(5). He does not act on advice of the Cabinet."
The <b>Bench of Justices Ashok Bhan and VS Sirpurkar agreed that the matter required urgent consideration and fixed May 8 to decide it finally</b>. Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium appeared for the Centre while senior advocate Soli Sorabjee and Arun Jaitley represented the petitioner. The court asked both sides to submit replies before the next date of hearing.
The court's tough stand on the issue has come as a shot in the arm for the National Democratic Alliance which had initially lodged its protest against Chawla by submitting a memorandum signed by 205 MPs with the President.
The petition had quoted news reports that a trust run by <b>Chawla's wife received funds from Congress MPs under MPLAD scheme</b>. <b>He had even received discretionary allotment of land in Delhi and Jaipur from the Congress Government, the reports stated.</b>
The Centre had dismissed NDA petition on the advice of the Attorney General. While exonerating Chawla, the AG told the Centre that the charges related to the period prior to his appointment as EC in May 2005.
The matter came to Supreme Court when Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh contended that the Government should have taken CEC's opinion before deciding the NDA petition against Chawla.
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Now CD case is gone and over, unless and until congressi fools do very stupid thing.
Abraham Thomas | New Delhi
'Centre should have consulted CEC instead of AG'
Pioneer.com
NDA plea on Chawla
The UPA Government suffered a major loss of face in the Supreme Court on Friday over its decision not to consult the Chief Election Commissioner on the NDA petition seeking removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla.
Hitting out at the Centre's decision to consult the Attorney General instead of the CEC to dispose of an Opposition plea against Chawla, the Supreme Court Bench remarked, "The President has to seek opinion of the Chief Election Commissioner under Article 324(5). He does not act on advice of the Cabinet."
The <b>Bench of Justices Ashok Bhan and VS Sirpurkar agreed that the matter required urgent consideration and fixed May 8 to decide it finally</b>. Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium appeared for the Centre while senior advocate Soli Sorabjee and Arun Jaitley represented the petitioner. The court asked both sides to submit replies before the next date of hearing.
The court's tough stand on the issue has come as a shot in the arm for the National Democratic Alliance which had initially lodged its protest against Chawla by submitting a memorandum signed by 205 MPs with the President.
The petition had quoted news reports that a trust run by <b>Chawla's wife received funds from Congress MPs under MPLAD scheme</b>. <b>He had even received discretionary allotment of land in Delhi and Jaipur from the Congress Government, the reports stated.</b>
The Centre had dismissed NDA petition on the advice of the Attorney General. While exonerating Chawla, the AG told the Centre that the charges related to the period prior to his appointment as EC in May 2005.
The matter came to Supreme Court when Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh contended that the Government should have taken CEC's opinion before deciding the NDA petition against Chawla.
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Now CD case is gone and over, unless and until congressi fools do very stupid thing.