The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regarding the presence of state government representatives during the vote counting process in West Bengal.
A special bench of justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi stated that the Election Commission (EC) has the discretion to appoint counting personnel from either central or state government employees.
The EC assured the court that state government representatives will be part of the vote counting process, prompting the top court to dismiss the TMC's plea.
The poll panel's April 13 circular provides for a mix of central and state government employees in the counting process, which the TMC had argued was not being followed.
However, the EC denied the charge, stating that it already ensures the presence of a state representative during counting and that each candidate will have their own counting agent.
The court observed that the EC has the authority to pick poll officers from the pool of central and state officials and that there is no question of conferring with political parties.
The TMC had approached the top court after the Calcutta High Court dismissed its plea on April 30, brushing aside the party's apprehension of bias as 'impossible to believe'.
The Supreme Court's decision has been hailed by both the TMC and the BJP, with the TMC stating that the court's directions vindicated its stand.
