INDIA's Supreme Court ordered the formation of a bipartisan panel to select the country's election commissioners on Thursday (2), ending a practise in which the government effectively chose them.
The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority but opposition parties have regularly accused it of caving into the demands of the ruling party, a charge it has denied.
The new panel will also include the leader of the opposition in the lower house of parliament or the opposition party with the highest number of members in the house.
"This norm will continue to hold good till a law is made by parliament," said Justice K.M. Joseph, delivering the order of a constitution bench that heard several petitions calling for an independent committee to appoint election commissioners.
"The election commission of India is to perform the arduous and unenviable task of remaining aloof from all forms of subjugation by and interference from the executive."
Currently, the president of the country, who generally goes by the advice of the government, appoints the chief election commissioner and two commissioners for a tenure of six years each. Typically they are former bureaucrats.
Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer representing the petitioners, termed the judgment "historic".
"They have said the independence of the election commission is absolutely essential for democracy, and for that independence to be assured, you cannot have a system where the government alone appoints the election commissioners," he told reporters outside the court.
India's former chief election commissioner, S.Y. Quraishi, said that "our long pending demands are being met".
"At last SC has clinched it," he said in a post on Twitter, referring to the Supreme Court. "The demand has been pending for two decades. Good for the perception of neutrality of the Election Commission."
(Reuters)
Clifford had previously denied killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters, Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads guilty to crossbow murders of BBC presenter’s family
A 26-YEAR-OLD man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to murdering two daughters of a BBC sports commentator and stabbing to death their mother in a crossbow attack.
Kyle Clifford had previously denied killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters, Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28.
However, appearing via video link at Cambridge Crown Court in eastern England, Clifford changed his pleas.
The court heard that Clifford tied up Louise Hunt, his former partner, binding her arms and ankles with duct tape before shooting her in the chest with a crossbow at the family home last July.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons. However, Clifford denied raping Louise.
The murders took place at the family home in the commuter town of Bushey, near Watford, northwest of London.
Clifford was arrested in July following a manhunt after the bodies of the three women were discovered.
(With inputs from AFP)