Suman Ranjan Bandyopadhyay And ORS. v. Election Commission Of India And ORS.

14.05.2024 Item No.80 Ct. No.17 S.A.

WPA 13803 of 2024 Suman Ranjan Bandyopadhyay & Ors.

-vsElection Commission of India & Ors.

Mr. Firdous Samim Ms. Gopa Biswas Ms. Payel Shome Ms. Sampriti Saha Ms. Purba Mukherjee ...for the petitioners Mr. Swapan Kumar Dutta Mr. Rajat Dutta ...for the State Ms. Sonal Sinha Ms. Shabnam Farooqui Ms. Srabasti Barai ...for State Election Commission Mr. Anuran Samanta ...for E.C.I.

The petitioners are working as Assistant Professors and Librarians at different State Aided colleges in 24 Parganas (North). It is the grievance of the petitioners that they have been assigned the duty of Presiding Officers for the ongoing General Election, 2024 by the District Election Officer without considering their pay scale and position.

It has been submitted by the learned advocate appearing for the petitioners that one Assistant Professor namely, Ms. Kalabati Kumari of Rishi Bankim Chandra Evening College, has been appointed as a Micro Observer. It has also been submitted by him that the Election Commission ought to have

appointed the petitioners as Micro Observers in conformity with the pay scale and designation. I am not inclined to entertain this writ petition in view of judgement passed by this Court in WPA 11567 of 2024 (Kaushik Bandopadhyay & Ors. vs. The Election Commission of India & Ors.) where this Court declined to interfere with the engagement of Assistant Professors as Presiding Officers.

Mr. Anuran Samanta, learned advocate appearing for respondent no.1 submits that such appointment of Ms. Kalabati Kumari has been made by way of a mistake and Election Commission will rectify his mistake by appointing her as a Presiding Officer.

In view of the aforesaid, WPA 13803 of 2024 is dismissed.

(Kausik Chanda, J.)