Supreme Court Upholds EC Circular for Votes Counting, Sibal Clarifies Misconceptions

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal emphasizes that the Supreme Court's decision regarding the deployment of central and state government employees for vote counting in West Bengal aligns with the Election Commission's circular. The court upheld the circular while rejecting claims that it dismissed the Trinamool Congress petition.

In a clarification issued at a press conference in New Delhi, Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal stated that the Supreme Court did not dismiss the Trinamool Congress's petition outright but supported the implementation of the Election Commission's existing circular.

The apex court's decision requires the Election Commission to enforce the April 13 circular, which mandates the deployment of both central and state government employees during the West Bengal Assembly vote count. 'We sought implementation, not a challenge to the circular,' Sibal explained, addressing misconceptions about the court's ruling.

The court's lack of additional directives supports the circular’s provisions, including the random assignment of government personnel to counting duties. Sibal also plans to request the Supreme Court to ensure CCTV footage retention at polling booths beyond the standard 45 days, highlighting concerns over heavy CAPF deployment in West Bengal compared to other states.