Bengal polls: Calcutta HC quashes EC decision to appoint college teachers as presiding officers

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Friday quashed the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s decision to appoint college teachers as presiding officers for the forthcoming two-phase Assembly polls in the state.

A single-judge bench of Justice Krishna Rao quashed the ECI’s order.

The Commission had appointed assistant professor-rank college teachers to work as presiding officers for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, issuing the notification a few days ago.

It also announced that they would be given separate training as presiding officers, and the training process also started for many of them.

Given this, the bench clarified that those teachers who have already undergone the training process will have to work as presiding officers, but those who have not undergone the training process as yet will not be appointed..

Following the Commission’s notification, a section of the college teachers approached the Calcutta High Court questioning the justification of such appointments.