Navin Chawla

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Navin Chawla is an Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India.

1 Career
2 Awards
3 Author
4 Contoversies
5 References

[edit] Career

He is an IAS officer of the 1969 batch. He was appointed as election commissioner in 2005 to fill the vacancy caused by the elevation of B B Tandon as Chief Election Commissioner of India . He has also served as Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary from May 2004 to May 2005 and as a Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs before that.

[edit] Awards

In March 2005, he was presented the Mazzini award by the Government of Italy "in recognition of his efforts to forge a new relationship with Italy and strengthening existing bonds".

[edit] Author

He has authored a book "Mother Terrasa".[1]

[edit] Contoversies

At the time of Indian Emergency (1975 - 77) he was secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Shah Commission which inquired into the excesses during the Emergency, indicted Mr Chawla for having been 'authoritarian and callous' and for gross misuse of power "in cynical disregard of the welfare of citizens". Further, it declared that he was "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others" [2]

Election Commissioner and his wife Rupika ran the Jaipur-based Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust which had secured MPLAD funds from Congress MPs — A.A. Khan, R.P. Goenka, Ambika Soni, Dr Karan Singh and Mr A.R. Kidwai.The trust was allotted six acres of land by the Congress government in Rajasthan when Mr Ashok Gehlot was the Chief Minister. [3]

In March 2006, the National Democratic Alliance presented the President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with a memorandum signed by over 200 MPs for his removal. The memorandum questioned his impartiality in light of his alleged links with the Congress.

In May 2006 Jaswant Singh the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha moved Supreme Court of India seeking removal of the controversial Election Commissioner Navin Chawla taking the plea that he would not be able to discharge his duty impartially in view of several allegations of improprieties against him. [4]