India, March 21 -- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday recused himself from hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of a 2023 law that removed the CJI from a committee responsible for appointing the chief election commissioner and the ECs to the poll panel.

"I will be accused of conflict of interest. There is a conflict of interest," the CJI, who was sitting alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said at the outset.

The bench was hearing PILs challenging the validity of certain provisions of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, on the ground that it excluded the Chief Justice of India from...