Supreme Court disposes TMC plea on ECI counting supervisor order, says no further orders needed

The Supreme Court on Saturday disposed of a plea filed by the Trinamool Congress regarding the appointment of counting staff for the West Bengal Assembly election, after recording the Election Commission of India’s assurance that its April 13 circular would be implemented in “letter and spirit.” The circular mandates that at least one official at each counting table must be a state government nominee, a point the court noted while concluding that no further orders were required.

During the hearing, the court observed that the Election Commission has the authority to decide the composition of counting personnel and clarified that the presence of central government officials as counting supervisors or assistants does not, by itself, violate the circular. The poll body informed the court that arrangements have been made to ensure balance, stating that if a counting supervisor is from the Centre, a state government official would be present at the table in another capacity.

In a notable shift in its stance, the Trinamool Congress moved from challenging the circular to seeking its proper implementation, urging that at least one counting staff member at every table be from the state government. With the Election Commission reaffirming compliance and the court finding no grounds for intervention, the plea was disposed of, clearing the way for counting arrangements to proceed as scheduled.