#calcutta_high_court

Bengal Elections: Petition Filed Against Home Minister Amit Shah in Calcutta High Court A petition was filed in the Calcutta High Court on April 29, 2026, against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that his remarks during a campaign rally in Darjeeling on April 21 constituted provocative and insulting comments. The petition, filed by Nurul Islam Mallik, claims that Shah’s statement, “उल्टा लटका कर सीधा कर देंगे” (Hang them upside down and set them straight), amounts to a threat of physical harm and coercion, instilling fear among political workers and citizens. The court has accepted the petition and is expected to hear it on Thursday. The petition argues that Shah’s remarks, which targeted Trinamool Congress supporters by labeling them as “goons,” undermine the dignity of political opponents and foster an atmosphere of insecurity. It further asserts that such statements promote hostility and insecurity rather than engaging in issue-based discourse. The petitioner also claims that the speech contained implicit references to potential political outcomes following the elections, which could instill fear among voters. The petition highlights that the Election Commission of India, the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, and the District Magistrate of Darjeeling were informed of the allegations on April 26, 2026, but no concrete action was taken. This inaction prompted the filing of the petition in the high court. The petitioner’s lawyer has requested the court to issue an order prohibiting Shah from delivering hate speech or provocative statements, warning against the use of derogatory language during the electoral process, and enforcing penalties for violations of the electoral code. The petition also references the inaccuracies of exit polls in previous Bengal elections.#west_bengal #trinamool_congress #election_commission_of_india #amit_shah #calcutta_high_court

Supreme Court Commends Peaceful Voting in West Bengal Amid SIR Case Delays The Supreme Court of India addressed the Special Intensive Review (SIR) cases in West Bengal during a hearing, highlighting the slow progress of the legal process while also acknowledging the state’s peaceful voting environment. Chief Justice Surya Kant praised the high voter turnout and absence of violence during the first phase of the state assembly elections, calling it a positive sign for democratic stability. The hearing focused on the backlog of cases related to the SIR process, which was initiated to address discrepancies in the electoral rolls. According to lawyer Kalyan Banerjee, representing the Trinamool Congress, only 139 appeals out of 34 lakh cases had been resolved by April 2026, far below expectations. Justice Kant emphasized that such cases should be first addressed at the Calcutta High Court, where administrative oversight could be managed. He stated that the Supreme Court would intervene only if necessary, urging parties to seek resolution through lower judicial authorities. The court also reiterated its stance on not adjudicating individual cases directly. It clarified that general guidelines had already been issued for appeals, and each case would need to be reviewed by the appropriate tribunals or authorities. This directive aimed to prevent the Supreme Court from becoming overwhelmed with routine administrative disputes. Separately, the court addressed a petition from 65 officials who claimed their names were removed from the final voter list after the SIR process. The petitioners argued that this affected their eligibility to vote. The Supreme Court rejected their plea, directing them to first approach the High Court or relevant tribunals for resolution.#west_bengal #trinamool_congress #supreme_court_of_india #calcutta_high_court #chief_justice_surya_kant

Election Commission Adds 139 Voters to Bengal Rolls After Tribunal Clearance Ahead of Polls The Election Commission (EC) of India has finalized the addition of 139 voters to the electoral rolls for the first phase of Bengal’s assembly elections, following clearance from appellate tribunals. This update was announced on Thursday, as the EC uploaded a list of voters whose names were cleared by the tribunals on Tuesday night. The decision came after a Supreme Court order mandated the review of voter eligibility, particularly for those whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The EC also released a list of applicants whose names were rejected by the tribunals, though no comprehensive public list of all cleared or rejected cases was provided. Sources within the poll panel indicated that approximately 650 cases were resolved during the adjudication process. The 139 voters whose names were reinstated are spread across 152 Assembly constituencies where voting will take place on April 24. The EC plans to upload another list of eligible voters once tribunals finalize their decisions on April 27. The SIR process, initiated earlier this year, involved the adjudication of 60.06 lakh voters. Over 705 judicial officers were deployed to scrutinize documents, resulting in the deletion of 27 lakh names from the electoral rolls and the addition of over 32 lakh names. Those whose names were deleted were granted the right to appeal before 19 tribunals established by the Calcutta High Court under Supreme Court directives.#assembly_elections #supreme_court #election_commission #special_intensive_revision #calcutta_high_court

Bengal Polls: Trinamool Congress Denies I-PAC Operation Pause Amid Election Preparations The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday dismissed a news report alleging that the political consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) had suspended its operations in West Bengal ahead of the state Assembly elections, calling the claim “completely baseless.” The ruling party’s statement came as the state prepares for polls scheduled in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting set for May 4. In a detailed response, the TMC clarified that I-PAC, which has managed the party’s election campaigns, including the 2021 Assembly elections, remained fully operational and actively engaged in campaign activities. The party accused the report of being a “deliberate attempt to create confusion on the ground” and emphasized that the people of Bengal would “respond democratically” to such misinformation. The disputed report, published by the Deccan Herald, claimed that I-PAC’s Bengal team had been instructed to take a 20-day leave, with a review expected on May 11. However, the TMC denied this, asserting that campaign efforts were proceeding as planned. The party also highlighted the ongoing legal battles over the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) recent raids on I-PAC offices, which it described as an attempt to disrupt its electoral preparations. The ED’s actions have intensified in recent months. In April, the agency conducted searches at multiple locations linked to I-PAC officials, including premises in Kolkata. One of the firm’s directors, Vinesh Chandel, was arrested on April 13 and remanded to 10 days’ custody in connection with a coal smuggling case.#mamata_banerjee #trinamool_congress #enforcement_directorate #calcutta_high_court #indian_political_action_committee

Calcutta High Court Questions Election Commission Over Professor Appointments in West Bengal Elections The Calcutta High Court has raised serious concerns about the Election Commission’s decision to appoint university professors as polling officers for the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections. The court, led by Justice Krishna Rao, challenged the commission’s authority to include academics in electoral duties, citing potential disruptions to educational institutions. The controversy stems from a legal challenge filed by a group of professors who argue that their involvement in election work would compromise their academic responsibilities. The Election Commission initially issued a directive allowing professors to serve as polling officers, a move that sparked immediate backlash from the academic community. Professors claimed the directive would force them to leave their campuses during election periods, disrupting teaching and research. They argued that the commission’s decision lacked legal justification and violated the principle of academic freedom. The court, during a hearing on April 16, 2026, questioned the commission’s rationale, emphasizing that the directive appeared arbitrary and lacked clear guidelines. Justice Rao criticized the commission for its inconsistent approach, noting that the same directive had been issued without prior consultation with stakeholders. He pointed out that the commission’s own notice allowed for the inclusion of judges as polling officers, yet it failed to address the unique challenges faced by academics. The judge also highlighted the potential consequences of the directive, warning that it could set a dangerous precedent for the involvement of professionals in electoral processes.#west_bengal #supreme_court #election_commission #calcutta_high_court #professors

Bengal: EC exempts SSC officials from Assembly election duty The Election Commission of India has exempted officials of the School Service Commission (SSC) from participating in Assembly election-related duties, ensuring the ongoing teacher recruitment process in Bengal is not disrupted. This decision came after the SSC, which was managing the recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff for classes 9 to 12, faced a staffing crisis due to the deployment of 24 of its employees for polling work. The move was announced on April 1, following a legal battle that had been ongoing since March 25. The SSC had approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking relief from the Election Commission’s directive to deploy its staff for election duties. The commission had initially assigned 24 SSC officials as polling officers on March 1, leaving only 11 staff members to handle the recruitment process. The SSC’s lawyer argued that this shortage would make it impossible to meet the Supreme Court’s deadline of August 31, 2026, to complete the recruitment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching workers whose jobs had been canceled in April 2025 due to a corruption scandal. The SSC had previously requested the bench of Justice Krishna Rao of the Calcutta High Court to recognize its autonomy and assert that its staff could not be diverted for election work. The commission had stated that 35 employees of the SSC were handling both its administrative tasks and the recruitment process. However, the deployment of 24 of them for polling duties left only 11 staff to manage the recruitment, which included conducting interviews for thousands of positions. The Supreme Court had ordered the SSC to restart the recruitment process after invalidating the previous appointments, which were deemed corrupt.#supreme_court_of_india #election_commission_of_india #calcutta_high_court #school_service_commission #krishna_rao

Supreme Court Disappointed Over West Bengal Officials' Response to Judicial Officers' Gherao The Supreme Court expressed profound disappointment on Thursday over the administrative response to the gherao (blockade) of judicial officers in West Bengal, particularly highlighting the inability to contact the Chief Secretary of the state during the crisis. The court criticized the conduct of senior officials, including the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director General of Police (DGP), Collector, and Superintendent of Police, as "highly deplorable" for their failure to ensure the safety of judicial officers during a critical incident. The incident occurred on March 16 when seven judicial officers, including three women, were gheraoed by anti-social elements at a BDO (Block Development Officer) office in Kaliachowk, Maldah district, around 3:30 p.m. The High Court authorities urgently sought intervention, but the state administration responded with "conspicuous inertia" until approximately 8:30 p.m. The Supreme Court noted that the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court had informed the court that the Chief Secretary could not be reached because he had not provided a WhatsApp contact number, leading to a breakdown in communication during the emergency. The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul Pancholi, emphasized that the inability to contact the Chief Secretary was a significant failure in the state's administrative response. The court stated that the Chief Secretary's absence from the communication process "resulted in no effective measures being taken to secure the safe evacuation of the judicial officers.#chief_secretary #west_bengal #supreme_court #election_commission_of_india #calcutta_high_court

Former Calcutta High Court Justice Sahidullah Munshi on Exclusion from West Bengal SIR Exercise Former Calcutta High Court Justice Sahidullah Munshi has been marked as “not found” in the West Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise despite submitting documents twice and undergoing verification. Munshi and his family members were excluded from the first draft of the rolls, raising concerns about the transparency and fairness of the process. Munshi explained that after the initial SIR notification, he and his family submitted all required documents to the Booth Level Officer. However, their names did not appear in the draft list, prompting worry. He was later called to the Entally office, where Election Commission officials conducted a fresh verification. Despite re-submitting his documents, his name remained marked as “not found” in the supplementary list, while his wife and son were labeled as “under adjudication.” Munshi expressed frustration over the lack of clarity regarding the reasons for his exclusion. “I do not know on what ground I can appeal before the appellate tribunal,” he stated. He also criticized the absence of proper documentation and receipts for the submitted papers, which left him uncertain about the validity of his submissions. Munshi emphasized that he intentionally avoided providing documents related to his former judicial position to be treated equally with common citizens. “I do not want to submit any sort of documents which says that I was a former High Court judge,” he said, highlighting his desire for impartial treatment. He further questioned the effectiveness of the appellate tribunals established for the SIR process, noting that they lack clear guidelines and operational frameworks.#supreme_court_of_india #election_commission_of_india #calcutta_high_court #sahidullah_munshi #west_bengal_sir