Election Commission should be Independent: SC

New Delhi, 12/3: The Supreme Court of India on Friday said that the Election Commission should become independent, and giving additional charges of a State Election Commission to a government official is a mockery.

The court said that entrusting additional charges of the State Election Commissioner to a government official in power is a mockery of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court in its order said on Friday that Goa Election Commission will have to issue notification for the panchayat polls within 10 days and will have to complete the election process by April 30.

A Supreme Court bench led by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman held that State Election Commissioners have to be independent persons and that none of the states can appoint a person who holds any other office with the government.

Justice Nariman added, that it’s a disturbing trait that a government servant, while being in employment with the government, was given charge of the Election Commission in Goa. An officer of the government attempted to overrule the high court decision on holding panchayat polls in Goa.

The Goa bench of the High Court on March 1 had set aside a notification issued by the Urban Development ministry, stopped polls in municipal councils of Margao, Mormugao, Mapusa, Sanguem, and Quepem.

The elections to 11 civic bodies in Goa are scheduled to be held on March 20.