Task cut out for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has asked the government to fix norms for appointing election commissioners to ensure independence in conducting free and fair elections.

The dictum of the Supreme Court to evolve a new mechanism bidding adieu to the present system of picking a person of choice of the Union government to the post of election commissioners gives an unintended impression that polls are not being conducted freely and fairly.

So far, the appointment of election commissioners has remained non-controversial. The Supreme Court has also acknowledged that all appointments of election commissioners have been outstanding and those so appointed have been fair and