WB Panchayat Elections: Calcutta High Court Directs SEC To Grant One More Day To 'Shiksha Bandhus' To File Nomination

The Calcutta High Court today ordered the State Election Commission to grant one more day to the 'Shiksha Bandhus' to file their nominations for the upcoming panchayat elections in West Bengal. The polling is slated to be held on July 8. Today was the last day to file nominations.

Shiksha Bandhus are contractual teachers under the erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. A division comprising Chief Justice Sivagnaman and Justice Uday Kumar said Shiksha Bandhus will be allowed to file nominations till tomorrow, i.e. June 16.

The order comes in a petition filed by Sunit Sarkar alleging that Shiksha Bandhus were declared ineligible for filing nominations and it was only on the evening of 14th June that the SEC issued a notification declaring otherwise.

Sarkar's counsel claimed that filing nominations is a lengthy process and one day is insufficient for them.

Court considered that the Commission had earlier made a statement that it can extend the nomination filing date by one day. It ordered accordingly.

Case Title: Sunit Sarkar v. Commissioner, WB SEC

Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (Cal) 163

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