‘Verify if contractual staff, civic volunteers are being deployed’

MP | 29 June 2023 | Calcutta : Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the State Election Commission to verify whether contractual staff and civic volunteers are being deployed for panchayat elections despite the court’s order to not deploy them. 

They have directed the SEC to rectify and call for compliance reports from the respective District Panchayat Election Officer. Various matters with regards to Panchayat election were heard by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Uday Kumar. 

One of them was with regards to the basic amenities that needed to be provided to the central forces that will be deployed. 

It was submitted that effective steps need to be taken by the SEC to facilitate the deployment of forces and ensure that they are being provided with basic amenities. 

“We are not here to advise the State Election Commission about the nitty-gritty of how and in what manner the State Election Commission will take forward the directions issued. 

All that we can remind Commission is to state that the Commission should function in such a manner that the public of the State of West Bengal get confidence with the Commission and rest assured that there will be free and fair election and the purity of election process will be preserved,” the Court stated. 

Advocate Anindya Bose, appearing for Sikshanuragi United Association, Balichak, had filed a separate writ petition. Bose, after seeking permission to intervene in the proceedings, highlighted that the personal details of all the officers deputed for election duty is being widely published in social media. 

The senior advocate appearing for the SEC submitted that the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed a module for the purpose of streamlining the date. 

“However, if such data has been collected, the State Election Commission should ensure that the privacy of the individuals who have been deployed for election duty is not in any manner affected,” the Division Bench observed and further directed SEC to address this issue as well in the report. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/verify-if-contractual-staff-civic-volunteers-are-being-deployed-523784