Cutting across party lines, Opposition leaders hailed the Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling on the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners as a “landmark” and “historic” order. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, however, sounded a word of caution. While describing the verdict restricting the government’s power to appoint the CEC and election commissioners as “cosmetic”, Chowdhury said the government still has the instruments to get its preferred candidates appointed to the high constitutional posts. As the leader of the single largest party in the Lok Sabha, Chowdhury sits on Prime Minister-headed high-powered panels to pick CBI director, Central Vigilance Commissioner, vigilance commissioners, Chairperson of the NHRC and its members, Chief Information Commissioner and members, and chairperson of the Lokpal and its members. “I think there should be more transparency in these appointments. I go to these meetings, but the way the government prepares the list of candidates. how they shortlist. your hands are tied. There is a need for a thorough overhaul. (But) What they [SC] have said is cosmetic. You cannot do anything substantial,” he told The Indian Express when asked about the SC verdict. Welcoming the Supreme Court ruling, his party said an “opaque process, that was misused by the ruling regime, has been set aside in favour of a more just and equitable alternative.” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said some of the observations made by the Supreme Court are a powerful indictment of the functioning of the Election Commission over the last eight years. All the Opposition parties hailed the verdict. The CPI(M) called it “seminal” and said it was a “step forward in the direction of strengthening the independent authority and functioning of the Election Commission which alone is mandated to conduct a free-and-fair election under Article 324 of the Constitution”. CPI(M) MP John Brittas, who in December last year had introduced a private member’s Bill in the Rajya Sabha for formation of a committee, welcomed the SC judgment. Speaking to The Indian Express, Brittas said: “I’m glad that the SC has intervened in a matter that is crucial for the survival of democracy. Any effort to tighten the process and to stop the process that is happening now is a welcome step.” “(The) 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. Will of the people prevails over the ill-fated attempts of the oppressive forces,” Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said in a tweet. Her party colleague and TMC leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien posted on Twitter: “HUGE. So Extremely Compromised (EC) can again strive to become Extremely Competent (EC).” At a press conference, AAP’s national spokesperson Sanjay Singh called the move “significant, historic and worth welcoming”. Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called the decision “landmark order”. Congress MP Manish Tewari spoke of the private member’s Bill he had introduced, which also sought the formation of a high-level committee headed by the Prime Minister and consisting of the Leader of the Opposition and the CJI to select the CEC and the election commissioners. “Article 324 should be amended to give an impartial Election Commission superintendence over internal processes of registered national & state political parties in terms of my private member’s Bill,” he said.
