PRS
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Ministry of Law and Justice
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Chief Election Commissioner & Other Election Commissioners Act: Selection Committee & Constitutional Autonomy
Distilled Policy Brief
- Establishes a three-member Selection Committee comprising the Prime Minister (Chair), Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM.
- Search Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary prepares a panel of five candidates with administrative expertise in election management.
- Standardises service conditions and salaries of the CEC and ECs on par with Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
Selection Committee: PM (Chair), Leader of Opposition/Single Largest Party leader, and Union Minister; Search Committee chaired by Cabinet Secretary.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Analyse the institutional autonomy of the Election Commission of India post Anoop Baranwal (2023) Supreme Court verdict and subsequent statutory enactment under Article 324(2).
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.
Forensic Anchor: Cabinet Allocation of Business Rules & NCAP Framework
Examiner Trap Takeaway: UPSC swapped Central Pollution Control Board role with State Pollution Control Boards for state-level monitoring.