BJP, SP withdraws petition against Navin Chawla from SC

The Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party today withdrew petitions from the Supreme Court seeking removal of Election Commissioner Navin B Chawla.

New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party today withdrew petitions from the Supreme Court seeking removal of Election Commissioner Navin B Chawla.

The parties took this decision after Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalswami in an affidavit said that powers vested in him under the Constitution for the removal of an Election Commissioner can be exercised.

Gopalswami also justified a stand taken by former CEC B B Tandon saying he (Tandon) could not act on the petition for the removal of Chawla filed by National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs, as it was addressed to the President.

Chawla is alleged to have received money from local area development funds of Congress MPs (MPLAD fund ) to run his two charitable trusts in Jaipur.

However, Chawla has denied having received donations from former Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma's MPLAD fund, and said that it was rejected by the Municipal Commissioner of Delhi (MCD) because it did not come from the area MP. He has already been given a clean chit by the Centre.

The NDA is demanding Chawla's removal for his alleged proximity to the Congress Party, his role during the emergency and for the alleged funding of his NGO.

The controversy broke out after a private news channel claimed that the trusts run by Chawla, who was appointed an Election Commissioner in May last year, and his wife Rupika, had received Rs 85 lakhs from Congress MPs.

ANI