High Court rejects plea against ECI police observer amid Bengal poll violence concerns

The Calcutta High Court has refused to entertain a plea filed against an Election Commission of India police observer deployed in West Bengal. A lawyer had approached the single-judge bench, accusing the police observer of violating the Model Code of Conduct during the ongoing elections. The court dismissed the petition, noting that the Election Commission had followed established procedures in the appointment, rather than arbitrarily selecting the officer. The deployment has sparked a massive political row in the state. The TMC has accused the Election Commission and the BJP of bias, alleging that the observer was deliberately brought in to influence the polls. Conversely, the BJP maintains that the official is an honest officer appointed fairly by the election body. With the court rejecting the intervention, the focus now shifts to the ground situation. The next twenty-four hours are considered crucial for maintaining law and order, as the police observer has strictly maintained that no election-related violence will be permitted in the region.