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Express Tribune
4 days ago
- General
- Express Tribune
PM Shehbaz invites Omar Ayub for consultation on new ECP chief
Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub for a meeting to discuss the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). In a letter on Wednesday, the PM highlighted that the term of CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with two other members, Nisar Ahmad Durrani from Sindh and Shah Muhammad Jatoi from Balochistan, ended on January 26. However, they have continued to serve under Article 215 of the Constitution. The letter pointed out that, according to Article 218, proposals for the new CEC and members must be forwarded to the parliamentary committee. The appointment process for the CEC and members of the ECP is outlined in Article 213 of the Constitution, which mandates that the prime minister and the leader of the opposition jointly propose three names to the president for approval. In case of disagreement between the two, the prime pinister and opposition leader will submit their individual nominations to a parliamentary committee. Following this, the National Assembly speaker will establish a 12-member committee, with equal representation from both the government and opposition benches. The committee will then select one nominee to forward to the President for approval, ideally by consensus. Under Article 217, if the CEC's term expires, the senior-most member of the Commission will assume the duties of the Chief Election Commissioner. Should the senior member be unavailable, the next senior member will take over the responsibilities.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CIC appointed prior to RTI Act amendment of 2019 entitled to pensionary benefits equivalent to that of retired Supreme Court judge, rules Kerala high court
Kochi: High court has directed the state govt to grant former state chief information commissioner (SCIC) Vinson M Paul , pension benefits equivalent to those of a retired Supreme Court judge or Election order was issued by a bench of Justice Harishankar V Menon on a petition filed by Paul challenging the state's decision denying him pensionary benefits on par with a retired Supreme Court judge or an Election Commissioner. The bench also quashed the communication issued by general administration department principal secretary and the govt order dated May 29, 2014, which had fixed the service and pension benefits for state information a retired IPS officer who was appointed as SCIC in 2016 and demitted office in 2020 upon attaining the age of 65 years, claimed pensionary benefits in accordance with Section 16 of the Right to Information Act , 2005. He contended that these benefits should be equivalent to those of a retired Supreme Court judge or an Election Commissioner. The govt responded that it was not in a position to consider his claim, stating that he was only entitled to the benefits specified in the 2014 govt order. It also pointed out that the RTI Act was amended in 2019, and as per the amendment, the salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions of service of the state chief information commissioner and state information commissioners shall be prescribed by the central reviewing the records, the single bench observed that although the RTI Act was amended in 2019, it explicitly stated that appointments made before the amendment would not be affected. HC further held that the 2014 govt order relating to the service and benefits of state information commissioners must be set aside, as it seeks to depart from the statutory provisions. The court emphasised that no govt order, notification, or circular can substitute statutory rules framed under the authority of law.
