India’s top court changes the election commissioner. Reuters, NEW DELHI, March 2 – The country’s election commissioners will now be chosen by a bipartisan panel that includes the prime minister and chief justice, according to an order from India’s top court on Thursday. This puts an end to the practice of the government essentially appointing them. The Election Commission of India is a constitutionally independent body, although opposition parties frequently accuse it of giving in to their requests. The Election Commission has consistently refuted these claims. (Indian News)
The head of the opposition in the lower house of parliament or the opposition party with the most representatives will also be a part of the new panel. (Latest News)
Judge K.M. Joseph delivered the ruling of a constitutional bench after hearing various petitions demanding an independent body to choose election commissioners. “This standard will continue to hold true till a law is passed by parliament,” Justice K.M. Joseph remarked.
“The difficult and unpleasant duty of avoiding all types of subordination by and intervention from the executive is to be performed by the Indian electoral commission.”
Presently, the chief election commissioner and two commissioners are chosen by the nation’s president, who often follows government recommendations. Their terms are each for six years. They were often formerly bureaucrats.
The ruling was dubbed “historic” by Prashant Bhushan, the petitioners’ attorney.
He told reporters outside of court, “They have indicated that the independence of the election commission is extremely vital for democracy and that you cannot have a system where the government alone picks the election commissioners in order to ensure that independence.
Our “long-pending requests are being addressed,” according to S.Y. Quraishi, a former chief election commissioner for India.
He wrote on Twitter that the Supreme Court had “finally clinched it” in the post. “The request has gone unanswered for twenty years. positive for the Electoral Commission’s credibility as a neutral party.”
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