24 Facts About Navin Chawla

Navin Chawla was an Indian civil servant and writer, who served as 16th Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Navin Chawla studied at the Lawrence School, Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh from 1953 to 1961, and received a Government of India scholarship for his first two years at the Lawrence School.

Navin Chawla later studied at SOAS University of London and was awarded a second bachelor's degree, Bachelor of Arts in history, from the University of London.

Navin Chawla received a diploma in social administration from the London School of Economics in 1968.

Navin Chawla was appointed a Fellow of Queen Elizabeth House at Oxford University in 1996.

Navin Chawla died at a hospital in New Delhi, on 1 February 2025, at the age of 79.

Navin Chawla was an Indian Administrative Service officer from the batch of 1969.

Navin Chawla rose to the highest rank of Secretary to the Government of India.

Navin Chawla served as a magistrate and later commissioner in the Union Territory of Delhi.

Navin Chawla was appointed the first Chairman of the Delhi Vidyut Board.

Navin Chawla was appointed India's 16th Chief Election Commissioner on 21 April 2009.

Navin Chawla wrote Mother Teresa's best-selling official biography, Mother Teresa.

Navin Chawla occupied a number of posts both in the Central Government as well as the Union Territories of Delhi, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, becoming Additional Secretary and Secretary to the Government of India.

Navin Chawla undertook reforms of the electoral process and the election commission.

Navin Chawla advocated a constitutional process for the removal of election commissioners, bringing it in line with that for removal of the chief election commissioner, so that election commissioners were afforded the same constitutional protection given to the CEC Chawla ensured that third gender individuals were given the right to vote for the first time.

Navin Chawla supported including the participation in the electoral process of under-trials in India.

Navin Chawla believed that under-trials should be allowed to vote, especially as convicts could participate in the electoral process and even stand for election.

Navin Chawla enlisted leprosy sufferers in electoral polls and encouraged braille-literate voters to vote independently.

Navin Chawla was running another trust called the Lepra India Trust in Delhi which is focused on the treatment of leprosy-affected cases.

Navin Chawla was invited on 16 February 2015 to distribute 'Smart Canes' to visually impaired students of Delhi University, during the course of the Antardhwani festival.

Apprehensive about Navin Chawla's alleged links to the Nehru-Gandhi family, in May 2006 Jaswant Singh, opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha, appealed to the Supreme Court of India for Navin Chawla's removal as election commissioner because of his lifelong association with Congress politicians and the MPLADS controversy.

The CEC alleged that Navin Chawla had shared some information about the election commission to Congress Party officials.

Navin Chawla is reported to have opposed the election commission's notice to Sonia Gandhi for accepting honours from Belgium.

Navin Chawla became CEC of India on 20 April 2009, and concluded the 2009 Indian Parliamentary Election.