Former chief election commissioner Navin Chawla passes away at 79

Former chief election commissioner (CEC) Navin Chawla passed away, ex-CEC SY Quraishi said. He was 79.

Quraishi told PTI that he met Chawla some 10 days back when the latter had informed that he was getting admitted to hospital for a brain surgery.

"He passed away this morning at Apollo Hospital," Quraishi said, adding that he was cheerful when they last met.

Separately, an Election Commission functionary also confirmed Chawla's demise.

"Sad to know about passing on of Shri Navin Chawla, former Chief Election Commissioner of India. May his soul rest in peace," Quraishi wrote on X.

A former bureaucrat, Chawla was the election commissioner between 2005 and 2009, and then chief election commissioner from April 2009 to July 2010.