The Supreme Court of India on Saturday upheld the authority of the Election Commission of India to appoint staff for vote counting, stating that no separate approval or order is required for the same.
The ruling came in connection with the West Bengal Assembly elections, which were held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
The All India Trinamool Congress had challenged a circular issued by the Election Commission regarding the deployment of central government employees for counting duties. The party had initially approached the Calcutta High Court, which dismissed the plea, prompting an appeal before the apex court.
A Bench comprising Justices P. S. Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi observed that the Election Commission is fully empowered to select counting personnel and that the circular issued in this regard cannot be termed invalid.
The development comes amid continued criticism of the Election Commission by the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, since the announcement of the election schedule.
