Chawla to be present at hearings, EC tells BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for keeping out Election Commissioner Navin Chawla during the hearing of de-recognition case was on Thursday rejected by the Election Commission, which held that mere pendency of a case against him cannot lead to bias as alleged by the party.

"The mere pendency of a case cannot ipso facto lead to the conclusion of existence of bias or apprehension of the same," the Commission ruled before it proceeded with the hearing on the controversial CD issue, which had led to demands for de-recognition of BJP.

The EC said it saw 'no reason' to constitute a bench of only two commissioners and instead decided that all three members would hear the matter further and adjudicate on it.

In its two-page order, the EC said it had 'carefully considered' the submissions of the BJP and parties seeking its de-recognition.

The hearings into the controversial anti-Muslim CD released by BJP in Lucknow and the de-recognition demand
following that got bogged down on BJP's demand that Chawla should not be part of the proceedings against the party and recuse himself.

The BJP contended that the party had petitioned the President with a memorandum signed by over 200 MPs for removal of Chawla on grounds of misconduct and had also moved the Supreme Court in this regard.

The party argued that when the apex court was going into its petition, how Chawla could sit at a hearing over them.