The Bharatiya Janata Party has appointed former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Rohit Arya as its coordinator for a state committee on the “one nation, one election” proposal, reported Bar and Bench on Monday.

Arya joined the Hindutva party in July, three months after he retired as a High Court judge. He had drawn attention for several controversial rulings during his judicial tenure.

Along with Arya, the Hindutva party also named Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava as a convener of the committee, reported The Indian Express.

Quoting unidentified sources, PTI reported on Monday that the purpose of the committee is to spread awareness about the “one nation, one election” proposal in Madhya Pradesh.

“Holding simultaneous elections in the country is one of the most important issues of national interest,” the news agency quoted Bhargava as saying. “Synchronised polls will also boost development. We will try to convey this to people.”

On December 17, the Union government introduced the Constitution One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws Amendment Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha. The bills would enable the conduct of simultaneous elections to the Lower House of Parliament and the state Assemblies.

A Joint Parliamentary Committee is deliberating on the matter. A timeline for the implementation of simultaneous elections, if the bills are passed by Parliament, is not clear.

The BJP has been pushing for simultaneous elections, arguing that holding the Lok Sabha and the state polls at different times is a burden on the government, businesses, courts, political parties, contesting candidates and civil society.

After joining the Hindutva party in July, Arya had said: “My thinking aligns with the philosophy of the BJP, a party that believes in human values.”

“A judge is a human being, too,” Arya added. “Once he retires, he has a life and can express his viewpoints; there is nothing wrong with it. Yes, a judge, while on his chair, must ensure that he adopts a non-partisan viewpoint.”

Arya’s remarks during court proceedings often went viral on social media.

In January 2021, Arya denied bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui in a case pertaining to allegations that the comedian had made allegedly derogatory jokes about Hindu deities. The court concluded that there was prima facie evidence to suggest that Faruqui had intended to outrage religious feelings “under the garb of stand-up comedy”.

“Every [fundamental] right is coupled with duty,” he had said. “Liberty of an individual has to be balanced with his duties and obligations towards his fellow citizens.”

In April 2021, the Supreme Court set aside Arya’s order and granted bail to Faruqui.

In July 2020, in another notable case, Arya directed a man accused of sexual assault to get a “rakhi” tied by the complainant as a bail condition.

The court also ordered the man to give the woman Rs 11,000 as a customary offering and “seek her blessings”. He also directed the man to provide Rs 5,000 to the woman’s son “for purchase of clothes and sweets”. The bail applicant had allegedly entered the house of the woman, his neighbour, and sexually harassed her.

In March 2021, the Supreme Court set aside Arya’s order.