'No further orders necessary': Special SC bench rejects TMC's plea on counting staff

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court connected Saturday dismissed a plea by TMC challenging the deployment of Central authorities and PSU employees arsenic counting supervisors for the West Bengal assembly elections, portion signaling the Election Commission of India’s connection that its April 13 circular volition beryllium implemented successful missive and spirit.The plea had been filed against a Calcutta High Court bid that had earlier rejected TMC’s situation to the counting arrangement.A peculiar seat of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi heard the matter, with counting of votes scheduled to beryllium held connected May 4.

During the hearing, the seat observed that TMC representatives would beryllium contiguous during the counting of votes and said that the EC’s circular is not contrary to the rules.Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on with Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora for TMC, questioned the directive, submitting that the April 13 circular came to the petitioner’s cognition lone connected April 29, contempt claims of anterior notice. He besides questioned the ground of the EC’s apprehension of wrongdoing.Senior Advocate D S Naidu, appearing for the Election Commission, submitted that the Returning Officer, a State Government employee, retains overarching power implicit the counting process and selects personnel.

He said the April 13 circular connected deployment of Central authorities unit volition beryllium followed successful missive and tone and argued that the concerns raised were based connected “misplaced apprehensions.”He added that 1 State authorities worker and 1 Central authorities worker would beryllium appointed arsenic counting supervisor and counting assistant.Justice Bagchi observed that describing a counting authoritative arsenic a Central Government nominee “hardly matters,” and said specified decisions autumn wrong the subjective restitution of the Election Commission of India. He besides noted that party-appointed counting agents would beryllium contiguous and that the counting model already includes a micro-observer who is simply a Central Government officer, on with counting supervisors and assistants.The Trinamool Congress, led by

Mamata Banerjee

, moved the Supreme Court connected Friday aft the precocious tribunal dismissed its plea challenging the counting arrangement.