Supreme Court Upholds Central Staff Deployment for West Bengal Vote Counting
Setback for TMC: Supreme Court disposes of plea against deploying central government staff for counting in Bengal
The Indian Express
Image: The Indian Express
The Supreme Court of India upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision allowing the Election Commission to deploy central government employees for vote counting in the West Bengal Assembly elections on May 4. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenged this decision, arguing it was unjust, but the court found no illegality in the Election Commission's actions.
- 01The Supreme Court dismissed the TMC's plea against deploying central government staff for counting votes.
- 02The Election Commission's decision was upheld, allowing central and public sector employees as counting supervisors.
- 03The TMC argued that the circular mandating central staff was issued without jurisdiction.
- 04The Calcutta High Court confirmed the Election Commission's prerogative in appointing counting personnel.
- 05Counting will occur under CCTV surveillance, ensuring transparency.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
On Saturday, the Supreme Court of India refused to intervene in a Calcutta High Court ruling that supported the Election Commission of India's (ECI) decision to utilize central government and public sector employees as counting supervisors for the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for May 4. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) had filed an appeal against an April 30 high court order, claiming that the deployment of only central government employees violated the ECI's circular, which called for a random selection of both state and central staff. However, the Supreme Court, represented by Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi, found the TMC's concerns unfounded, noting that the ECI was adhering to its guidelines, which included provisions for state employees as well. The high court had previously ruled that the ECI has the authority to appoint counting personnel and emphasized that the counting process would be monitored by micro-observers and candidate agents to ensure fairness. The court also stated that if any malpractice occurs during counting, the TMC retains the right to challenge the results in an election petition.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
This ruling ensures that the counting process in the West Bengal Assembly elections will proceed with a mix of central and state personnel, potentially impacting the TMC's strategy and public confidence in the electoral process.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
Reader Poll
Do you think deploying central government staff for counting votes is fair?
Connecting to poll...
More about Election Commission of India
Read the original article
Visit the source for the complete story.






