New Delhi, May 14 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the Central government about the rationale for including a Union Cabinet Minister in the selection committee tasked with appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma said that for the Election Commission to not only be independent but also appear to be independent.

"It is not enough for the Election Commission to be independent; it must also appear to be independent. The third member of the selection panel should be a neutral person who can make the choice. Why should a Cabinet Minister be part of it?" Justice Datta asked Attorney General R Venkataramani.

Venkataramani responded that the p...