Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988 Kerala cadre retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has assumed office as India's 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

He replaced Rajiv Kumar, who left the office on Tuesday. The Union Law Ministry announced his appointment under a new law for appointing election commissioners.

In his first address, Kumar stressed, "The first step for nation-building is voting," and urged all citizens above 18 to vote.

Kumar has served in key positions in both central and state governments. He has previously served as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation.

He was instrumental in setting up the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust and handled Jammu and Kashmir affairs during the abrogation of Article 370.

He has a BTech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur, studied Business Finance at ICFAI, and Environmental Economics at Harvard University.

Dispute

Controversy surrounds Kumar's appointment

However, Kumar's appointment has triggered a political storm.

The controversy revolves around the changes in the selection committee, which now consists of two ruling party members, Leader of the Opposition, and excludes the Chief Justice of India (CJI), violating a former SC order.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on this amended procedure on Wednesday.

Legal scrutiny

Supreme Court to review new selection procedure

Petitioners argue that excluding the CJI defeats efforts to insulate the election commission from "political" and "executive interference."

Representing the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, lawyer Prashant Bhushan told Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh that "the government excluded the CJI and made a 'mockery of democracy.'"

Alongside Kumar, Dr. Vivek Joshi has been appointed as a new member of the Election Commission panel with Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.