News Desk :
The report on “Appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill-2022” was placed in parliament on Wednesday with some changes in eligibility and ineligibility criteria for the appointment of CEC and ECs. Chairman of the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry M Shahiduzzaman Sarker placed the report.
The committee changed section 6 (gha) of the Bill where it was mentioned that anyone convicted of a criminal offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced to at least two years’ imprisonment would not be eligible for the post of CEC and election commissioners, reports UNB.
It removed the two-year term of imprisonment and kept only the term ‘imprisonment’ saying that one convicted in a criminal offence of moral turpitude for any term shall not be eligible to be appointed as CEC or Election Commissioner.
For becoming CEC and EC, one should have at least 20 years of working experience in any important government, judicial, semi-government or private posts.
The parliamentary committee has recommended bringing an amendment to this section and adding ‘autonomous and other professions’ besides government, judicial, semi-government or private posts.
If the law is passed with this amendment, people from different professional bodies-autonomous and other professions-will be eligible for the post of CEC and ECs.
Law Minister Anisul Huq placed the bill in parliament on January 23 seeking to give a legal shield to the current and previous Election Commissions formed through search committees.
The bill was later sent to the parliamentary standing committee on the law ministry for scrutiny.
Once passed, the law will provide legal cover to all the activities of the search committees.
The tenure of the incumbent commission, led by CEC KM Nurul Huda, expires next month.
Ahead of the general elections in 2014 and 2018, the president picked CECs and other commissioners in 2012 and 2017 following recommendations by search committees.
The government move came nearly 50 years after the constitution prescribedenactinga specific law for forming the EC.
The bill says the previous search committees, their functions and the appointments of the CECs and other commissioners made following their recommendations will be deemed valid, and no question can be raised in any court over the matter.
It will be considered that the incumbent and previous ECs were constituted as per the law.
As per the proposed law, a six-member search committee will be formed following the president’s approval for forming the EC.
