WB Panchayat Polls: HC Orders SEC To Extend Nomination Filing For ‘Shiksha Bandhus’

The Calcutta High Court recently passed an order directing the State Election Commission (SEC) to provide an additional day for the ‘Shiksha Bandhus’ to submit their nominations for the upcoming panchayat elections in the state.

The scheduled polling date for the elections is July 8, and today marked the final day for filing nominations. Shiksha Bandhus are contractual teachers who were previously associated with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sivagnaman and Justice Uday Kumar ruled that Shiksha Bandhus would be permitted to file their nominations until June 16, 2023.

This order stems from a petition filed by Sunit Sarkar, who alleged that the Shiksha Bandhus were initially deemed ineligible to file nominations.

It was only on the evening of June 14 that the State Election Commission issued a notification clarifying their eligibility. Sarkar’s counsel argued that the nomination filing process is time-consuming, and one day is insufficient for completing the necessary procedures.

Taking this into consideration, the court acknowledged that the Commission had previously indicated its willingness to extend the nomination filing deadline by one day. Consequently, the court ordered the extension accordingly.