President Pratibha Patil on Sunday rejected chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami's recommendation to remove Navin Chawla as election commissioner. The president's decision paves the way for Chawla to take over as the CEC after Gopalaswami retires on April 20.

The government had made clear that the CEC was not empowered to seek the removal of an election commissioner without a presidential reference being first made to him. Gopalaswami's action was criticised by legal luminaries though the BJP had backed him. Chawla has been accused of being partial to Congress.

"The president, after careful consideration of the report of the CEC, government recommendations, constitutional provisions, and Supreme Court judgments, has arrived at a considered opinion and accepted the recommendation of the government (rejecting CEC's suggestion)," Archana Dutta, officer on special duty in Rashtrapati Bhawan, said in a communique.

Javed M Ansari/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication