Supreme Court Rules Out Meeting With ‘One Nation, One Election’ Parliamentary Panel; Separation-Of-Powers Concerns Surface
(Judicial Quest News Network)
1, October,2026-The Supreme Court has indicated that its judges will not meet the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposed “One Nation, One Election” legislation, following objections to the proposed interaction with serving members of the judiciary.
The development concerns a meeting reportedly scheduled for October 6 between the JPC and the Chief Justice of India (CJI), along with other Supreme Court judges.
The plan was dropped after opposition members objected.
The JPC, chaired by BJP MP P. P. Chaudhary, is scrutinising the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The proposed measures seek to establish a framework for holding elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies simultaneously.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal had publicly criticised the proposed meeting, describing it as unprecedented and raising concerns about the constitutional principle of separation of powers.
His objection focused on the prospect of a parliamentary committee discussing proposed legislation with sitting judges who might later be called upon to adjudicate challenges to the law’s validity.
The JPC has consulted political parties, legislators, constitutional experts and other stakeholders.
It has also reportedly sought views from former Chief Justices of India and retired Supreme Court judges on the constitutional implications of simultaneous elections.
The controversy, however, centres on the proposed interaction with serving judges.
The bills have prompted wider debate over federalism, the tenure of legislative bodies, the consequences of premature dissolution and whether the proposed framework could implicate the Constitution’s basic structure.
The Supreme Court’s reported position concerns the proposed meeting; it does not, on the information reported, determine the constitutional validity or merits of the bills.
