Calcutta HC quashes professors’ poll duty appointments in Bengal

The Calcutta High Court has set aside the appointment of several assistant professors as presiding officers for the upcoming two-phase West Bengal Assembly elections, citing violations of established Election Commission guidelines .

The ruling came after members of the West Bengal Government College Teachers’ Association challenged their deployment for polling duties scheduled on April 23 and 29. The petitioners argued that despite holding positions equivalent to Group A officers, they were assigned presiding officer roles without due consideration of their pay level or service status .

Justice Krishna Rao , in his order on Friday, quashed the appointments , observing that authorities failed to justify the “unavoidable circumstances” required under existing norms. The court noted that the appointments were made in violation of a February 16, 2010 circular issued by the Election Commission of India.

The circular clearly states that senior officials, including college and university teaching staff, should not be deployed at polling stations without recorded reasons by the District Election Officer. However, no such documentation was presented before the court.

Counsel for the petitioners, Shamim Ahmed , stated that over 300 association members had approached the court, although the relief granted currently applies only to the petitioners.

Defending the appointments, the Election Commission’s counsel argued that managing nearly 90,000 polling booths makes strict adherence to seniority norms difficult, leading to overlaps.

Despite these challenges, the court emphasised that procedural safeguards cannot be bypassed , reinforcing the need for transparency and strict compliance with election norms.