Kolkata, March 20: TMC MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee has sought permission from the Calcutta High Court to file a petition challenging the transfers of IAS and IPS officers from West Bengal to other states. He argued that the Election Commission’s primary responsibility is to conduct elections. The Commission does not have the authority to authorize the transfer of senior administrative officials to other states, as such actions disrupt administrative functioning.
The division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul granted permission to file the petition. The hearing is likely to take place next Monday.
The petitioner also contended that such large-scale transfers of top bureaucrats and police officials are occurring only in West Bengal, unlike in other electoral states and Union Territories.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had previously expressed her objections regarding the transfers of bureaucrats and police officials in two letters to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar earlier this week.
In her latest letter sent on Thursday evening, the Chief Minister accused the Commission of unconstitutionally undermining the authority of the elected state government. She stated that “such biased, hasty, and unilateral decisions are unprecedented and not a good sign for a healthy democracy.”
In her letter, the Chief Minister noted that the top officials of the administrative system in West Bengal were removed just hours after the announcement of the 2026 Assembly elections, which is extremely surprising and concerning. She mentioned that this decision was taken arbitrarily and without consulting the state government for a panel of officials, despite established traditions being followed during previous elections between the Election Commission and the state government.
It is noteworthy that the reshuffle occurred just hours after the Election Commission issued a notification for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. The Commission transferred Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Home Secretary J.P. Meena overnight. Additionally, several senior officials from the police department, including the Director General of Police and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, were also removed from their positions.
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