The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court ruling on the appointment of election commissioners as "historic", saying it will help strengthen democracy with an impartial functioning of the poll panel.

For a long time, questions were being raised on the functioning of the Election Commission (EC), the AAP's national spokesperson Sanjay Singh told a press conference here, reacting to the apex court's decision.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the appointments of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners will be made by the president on the advice of a committee comprising the prime minister, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the chief justice of India.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph, in a unanimous verdict, held that this norm will continue to hold good till a law on the issue is enacted by Parliament.

The apex court said if the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha is not there, the leader of the single-largest opposition party will be in the committee to appoint the chief election commissioner and election commissioners.

Singh said the Supreme Court's decision is "significant, historic and worth welcoming".

"This will help maintain fairness in the functioning of the EC," he said.

The Rajya sabha MP of the AAP leader alleged that before announcing poll dates, the EC "waits" for the prime minister and home minister to "conclude their rallies, public meetings and making announcements".

The apex court's decision on the appointment of election commissioners will help strengthen India's democracy and the Constitution, he added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.