Advocate Mohit D. Ram, who has been a standing counsel for the Election Commission of India since 2013, has announced he is stepping down as his values are “not in consonance with the current functioning of the ECI”.

The letter, addressed to the Election Commission’s director of law, Vijay Kumar Pandey, says: “It was an honour to represent the Election Commission of India (ECI). I had a cherishing milestone of my career, in the journey which began with being part of the office of Standing Counsel of ECI and progressed as one of the panel counsels of ECI (since 2013).

“However, I have found that my values are not in consonance with the current functioning of the ECI; and hence I withdraw myself from the responsibilities of its panel counsel before the Supreme Court of India….”

Sources said Ram had quit because he was feeling sidelined since 2019.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court had rejected an Election Commission appeal seeking a gag on the media from reporting oral observations of judges. The plea was prompted by Madras High Court’s comment that the poll panel should probably be put up for murder charges in view of its failure to curb the “wanton abuse” of Covid protocols during election rallies.

Ram was not part of that case.