HC suspends SDO, BDO for helping TMC candidate win

MP | 27 July 2023 | Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has ordered suspension of the SDO and BDO of Uluberia-I for distorting documents of an opposition candidate to help the TMC candidate win uncontested while also ordering a repolling in the seat concerned in Bahira-I Gram Panchayat. 

The order is based on the case filed by one CPI(M) candidate Kashmira Begum who was of Other Backward Class (OBC) status. However, TMC candidate Luthfanesa Begum had also claimed to be of OBC status and was thus given an OBC certificate. However, she later confessed that she had lied about her status. This therefore meant that she was not qualified to contest from that seat. 

The TMC candidate also won from that seat uncontested as the CPI(M) candidate’s nomination was rejected after her documents were allegedly distorted. The CPI(M) candidate had thus moved the court alleging that the state government officials, the SDO and the BDO of that block, were involved in the conspiracy to help the TMC candidate win. She had alleged that despite complaining to them that her documents were distorted, they did not help. 

The court had constituted a committee to look into the matter. Based on the committee’s findings, which found both the SDO and BDO guilty of the charge, the court ordered their suspension. It is learnt that the court has also ordered repolling in that seat in Uluberia Bahira-I Gram Panchayat. 

The court has also ordered that a date for re-polling be decided in consultation with the State Election Commission. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/hc-suspends-sdo-bdo-for-helping-tmc-candidate-win-527184