Letter seeking Chawla’s sacking out
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New Delhi: In an example of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing,
the law ministry has released the letter written by the then Chief Election
Commissioner N Gopalaswami to the President seeking removal of fellow election
commissioner Navin Chawla, while the Rashtrapati Bhavan declined to make the
document public.
The appellate authority under the RTI act in the law ministry allowed the
request of one S S Ranawat, a resident of Bhilwara in Rajasthan, for
unprecedented recommendation made by Gopalaswami in January last year. The
Rashtrapati Bhavan cited C h aw l a ’s opposition to the disclosure as a reason
for not making it public.
In his 93-page report, Gopalaswami cited several instances of partisan
behaviour on the part of Chawla who had shown lack of political neutrality.
Acting on a petition filed by BJP leader L K Advani and 179 other members of
Parliament who had levelled accusations of political partisanship, the then CEC
contended that he had powers under the constitution to recommend Chawla’s
removal. But, the government rejected it and appointed Chawla.
In this regard, Gopalaswami cited Chawla’s own notings on another occasion that
the CEC had the power to make such a recommendation.
In the recommendation to the President, the then CEC said he had concluded that
“significant facts” and “irresistible conclusions” from the report submitted by
him were crucial in adjudging the suitability of Chawla as EC.
On many occasions, he said Quraishi confided he was under pressure, like, when
he was in favour of polls being held in Karnataka on time and wanted the rolls
to be prepared for the new constituencies using the ‘cut and paste’ method but
he did not want his name to be taken, since he was pressured. AGENCIES
