Intricate issues involved in CEC's recommendation: Cong

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Congress Saturday said that
India's Chief Election Commissioner N Goapalaswami's
recommendation for removal of Navin Chawla involve "several
intricate issues of law", including the "very jurisdiction of
the CEC to exercise such powers on a colleague".

"We have no official notice of the recommendation or its
content," Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said.

"There are several intricate issues of law involved
including the very jurisdiction of the CEC to exercise such
powers on a colleague," he said.

"Since press reports suggest that the matter is in the
domain of the Central government, it would be premature to
comment further till a considered view is taken keeping in
mind all legal aspects at the Centre's level," he said.

Another Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmad said that this
type of controversy will de-mean the prestige of one of the
highest constitutional bodies of the country.

But, he said, no political party should comment adversely
on the people occupying constitutional offices.

He also recalled that the BJP has been raising these
issues for the last few years and said "it surprises us" that
the sensitive matter has once again come up at the time of
elections.

Gopalaswami has recommended the removal of the Election
Commissioner Navin Chawla to the government.

The recommendation comes about three months before
Gopalaswami is to demit office on April 20 and is based on a
petition by the BJP, which had complained against the
"partisan" functioning of Chawla.

The BJP had alleged that Chawla was close to the Congress
party. PTI SPG
PMR