India’s Supreme Court ordered a change in the method of choosing election commissioners, giving the political opposition a say in the decision before the national vote next year.
(Bloomberg) — India’s Supreme Court ordered a change in the method of choosing election commissioners, giving the political opposition a say in the decision before the national vote next year.
India’s President will appoint election commissioners on the advice of a panel comprising the Prime Minister, Chief Justice and leader of opposition in the lower house of parliament, the court ruled Thursday. That’s a departure from the current system, where the Prime Minister alone weighs in.
“The powers of appointment are capable of being misused,” a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court said while delivering its judgment. “The fate of political parties and their candidates rests in the hands of the Election Commission of India and vitally important decisions are taken by those who helm its affairs.”
The court-ordered method will stay until parliament legislates on the process.
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