The Election Commission of India (ECI) has challenged a Calcutta High Court order that quashed its decision to appoint college teachers as Presiding Officers for the upcoming two-phase Assembly polls in West Bengal. The single-judge Bench had invalidated the appointment but allowed trained college teachers to serve as Presiding Officers this time. However, the Commission was granted the authority to assign college teachers for other electoral roles based on their service grades and pay scales.
The ECI has taken the matter to a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court, contesting the part of the previous order that rejected the appointment of college teachers as Presiding Officers. The Division Bench comprising Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Ajay Kumar Gupta will hear the case on Tuesday. The Commission had designated Assistant Professor-rank college teachers as Presiding Officers for the state’s upcoming Assembly elections and had initiated their training process accordingly.
In response to the Commission’s decision, some college teachers raised objections at the Calcutta High Court, questioning the rationale behind the appointments. The Commission defended its choice by citing past instances of similar appointments in previous elections, emphasizing that such decisions had never been contested before. The West Bengal Assembly elections are scheduled for April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes set for May 4, coinciding with elections in Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.
