Shocker for TMC: ‘No further orders necessary,’ says SC on plea against EC move in Bengal

In a shocker for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Supreme Court on Saturday said that no further orders were necessary on the TMC’s plea over the Election Commission’s directive on vote counting for the Bengal polls, and recorded the poll body’s statement that it would follow its circular on counting.

During the hearing, the Election Commission told the court that the returning officer, who is a state government employee, has overarching powers, and said the TMC’s apprehensions over the deployment of central government and PSU employees for counting were misplaced. It also told the court that its April 13 circular on the deployment of central government staff for counting in Bengal would be implemented in letter and spirit.

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The TMC told the Supreme Court that while the EC’s circular was dated April 13, it came to know about it only on April 29. The court was hearing the party’s plea against the EC’s directive to deploy central government and PSU employees for vote counting in Bengal.

During the proceedings, the Supreme Court told the TMC that the EC could choose counting personnel from only one pool, the central government, and that the circular could not be said to be incorrect.

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The court also told the TMC that its representative would be present during the counting of votes, and said the EC’s circular was not contrary to the rules. The TMC, in turn, asked where the EC’s apprehension of wrongdoing came from.

With the EC assuring the court that its April 13 circular would be followed in letter and spirit, the Supreme Court said no further orders were required on the TMC’s plea over the deployment of central government and PSU employees for counting of votes in Bengal.

This, however, is not the first time the courts have shown TMC the boot. 

On April 30, the Calcutta High Court dismissed the TMC’s petition against the EC circular, saying there was no illegality in the poll panel’s decision to appoint counting supervisors and assistants from central government and Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) employees, instead of the state government staff.

Voting for the 294-member assembly was held in two phases — April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on and the results will be declared on May 4.