Gyanesh Kumar takes charge as CEC amid Congress protest; Supreme Court to hear pleas today

Newly-appointed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar assumed office on Wednesday as the 26th chief election commissioner (CEC), despite opposition from Congress regarding the selection process. Kumar was appointed by a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gyanesh. Gyanesh Kumar replaced Rajiv Kumar, who demitted office on Tuesday.

After taking office, newly-appointed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar emphasised that voting is a crucial step for nation-building. He urged all Indian citizens who are 18 or older to become registered electors and participate in elections. Kumar assured that the Election Commission of India, in accordance with the Constitution and electoral laws, will always support voters.

"First step for nation building is voting. Therefore, every citizen of India who has completed 18 years of age should become an elector and should always vote. In accordance with the Constitution of India, electoral laws, rules and instructions issued therein, the Election Commission of India was, is and will always be with the voters," CEC Gyanesh Kumar said.

Late Monday night, the Union government appointed Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner, just hours after a meeting of the Prime Minister-led selection committee. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu is the election commissioner, while Vivek Joshi was appointed to the post on Monday.

The appointment came as the Supreme Court is set to hear, on a "priority basis," petitions challenging the appointments of the CEC and election commissioners under the 2023 law on February 19. Gandhi also submitted a dissent note to the panel, which includes Home Minister Amit Shah.

SC to hear pleas challenging law on Election Commissioners' appointment today

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a set of petitions on Wednesday challenging the validity of the law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners. The law has been criticized for excluding the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel for Election Commissioners.

On Tuesday, Advocate Prashant Bhushan urged the court to hear the matter urgently, emphasizing its significance for the future of democracy.

Who is Gyanesh Kumar?

• Gyanesh Kumar took charge as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on March 15, 2024.
• Prior to this, he was part of the Rajiv Kumar-led Election Commission since March 2024.
• He is a 1988 batch Kerala cadre officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
• Kumar completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur.
• He later studied Business Finance from ICFAI India and Environmental Economics from HILD, Harvard University, USA.
• As Secretary to the Kerala government, he handled diverse departments like Finance Resources, Fast Track Projects, Public Works, Modernising Government Program, and Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs.
• Kumar retired as Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation on January 31, 2024, under the supervision of Amit Shah.