Supreme Court Refuses Fresh Orders on TMC Plea Over Bengal Vote Counting

In a significant development ahead of the Bengal polls, the Supreme Court of India on Saturday declined to pass any fresh orders on a plea filed by the All India Trinamool Congress regarding the deployment of central government and PSU employees for vote counting, after taking note of assurances given by the Election Commission of India.

During the hearing, the Election Commission informed the court that it would strictly follow its April 13 circular on the counting process. It clarified that the returning officer, who is a state government employee, holds overall authority during vote counting. The poll body also dismissed the TMC’s concerns about involving central government and PSU staff, stating that such apprehensions were unfounded.

The TMC argued that although the circular was issued on April 13, the party only became aware of it on April 29. It had approached the court challenging the directive that allows deployment of central government and PSU personnel for counting votes in West Bengal.

Responding to the concerns, the Supreme Court observed that the Election Commission has the authority to choose counting personnel from a single pool, including central government staff, and said there was nothing legally wrong with the circular. The court also noted that representatives of political parties, including the TMC, would be present during the counting process, ensuring transparency.

After recording the Election Commission’s assurance that the circular would be implemented in “letter and spirit,” the court concluded that no further intervention was necessary in the matter.

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