Kolkata, April 17: The Calcutta High Court has annulled the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to appoint college teachers as presiding officers for the upcoming two-phase assembly elections in the state.
A single-judge bench led by Justice Krishna Rao struck down the ECI’s order. Recently, the commission had issued a notification appointing college teachers of the assistant professor rank to serve as presiding officers for the elections.
The ECI had also announced that these teachers would receive separate training for their roles, with training sessions already underway for many.
The bench clarified that those teachers who had completed the training process must serve as presiding officers, while those who had not yet finished their training would not be appointed.
Following the commission’s notification, a group of college teachers questioned the legitimacy of these appointments and approached the Calcutta High Court.
During the hearing, the ECI’s lawyer stated that there had been precedents of appointing college teachers as presiding officers in previous elections. However, this is the first instance where a segment of college teachers has raised objections to the proposal.
Despite this, the ECI’s lawyer could not provide a solid justification for the necessity of appointing college teachers as presiding officers.
Justice Rao commented on the ECI’s notification regarding the appointments, stating that if deemed appropriate, the commission could assign college teachers to other election-related tasks based on their service grade and pay scale.
Voting for the assembly elections in West Bengal is scheduled for April 23 and April 29, with vote counting set for May 4.
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My name is Himanshu Tiwari. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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