Supreme Court Questions Neutrality of Election Commissioner Appointment Process

Justice Dipankar Datta of the Supreme Court raised concerns about the neutrality of India's Election Commissioner appointment process. Using a cricket analogy, he remarked that allowing the batting team to choose the umpire would always invite questions of bias. The observation came during a hearing related to a 2023 law that governs how Election Commissioners are appointed. The case has drawn attention to whether the current appointment mechanism adequately safeguards the independence of the Election Commission.