POLITICS AND CRIME-Cosmetic Action

of the Guwahati High Court which had been made on a writ petition challenging the EC's guidelines filed by some leaders of the United Minorities Front (UMF). That appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court on May 5. While the Supreme Court's judgment brings the legal and bureaucratic wrangles to an end, the political implications of the judgment are likely to remain a controversial issue. For, though the original guidelines as well as the SRC of the EC were opposed (as also tacitly or openly supported) by several political parties, the grounds for such opposition (and support) and the apprehensions and expectations that these guidelines evoked have been projected and exploited selectively. This feature is likely to persist irrespective of the legislative and legal position.