'Democratic Victory': Mamata welcomes SC's verdict on Election Commission appointments

In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has ordered that the top appointments of the Election Commission will now be made by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the opposition of Lok Sabha, and Chief Justice of India. The decision was welcomed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who hailed the verdict as a “democratic victory.”

She wrote in her tweet: “Supreme Court’s landmark order is a democratic victory! We welcome the decision of the Constitution Bench on the appointment of Election Commissioners and Chief Election Commissioner. The will of the people prevails over the ill-fated attempts of the oppressive forces!”

The 5-0 unanimous verdict said that the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners will be done by the President on the advice of the three-member committee. The Constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph said this norm will continue till Parliament makes a law on these appointments.

The Supreme Court's order comes as a major relief for the country's election process, which has been marred by allegations of bias and political interference in the past. The court said that this arrangement would continue until the Parliament makes a law on such appointments.