Supreme Court rejects guidelines on ministers' pending criminal cases
India
The Supreme Court just decided it won't set new rules about who can be a minister if they have criminal cases pending.
The judges, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, turned down a request for guidelines, saying it's up to the prime minister and chief ministers to pick their teams.
The court also pointed out that making such rules could be misused for political payback.
Defers to lawmakers on ministerial restrictions
This isn't the first time the Supreme Court has taken this stand: it made a similar call back in 2014.
While the court agrees that politics getting mixed up with crime is worrying, it believes it's not its job to set extra restrictions; that's something only lawmakers can do.
In short: choosing ministers stays a political decision, not a legal one.