Supreme Court dismisses PIL against appointment of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner of India

The Supreme Court, presided over by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, recently declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) challenging the appointment of Arun Goel as the Election Commissioner of India. The court relied on the fact that a previous Constitution Bench of the apex court had already examined the files pertaining to Goel's appointment and had upheld his selection.

The PIL argued that Goel's appointment was arbitrary and compromised the institutional integrity and independence of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The petitioner highlighted that a Constitution Bench, headed by Justice KM Joseph (now retired), had previously rejected the Central government's argument that Goel's selection was based on his age, as he was the youngest candidate on a panel. The Constitution Bench had found that the panel was formed solely to exclude other candidates based on age.

During the hearing, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing ADR, asserted that the appointment was arbitrary and had been approved while the Constitution Bench case was underway. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government, opposed the plea, referring to the petitioner as "busybodies" and stating that the appointment process for constitutional positions was swift and well-regulated.

Bhushan countered that the appointment was not quashed earlier because Goel was not a party to the proceedings at that time. Despite the arguments put forth, the Bench refused to entertain the PIL.

Arun Goel, a retired IAS officer of the 1985 Punjab cadre, assumed the position of Election Commissioner of India on November 19, 2022. Having pursued a postgraduate degree in Development Economics from Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England, Goel began his career as the District Election Officer/Collector in Punjab's Bhatinda in 1993.