Kolkata, 24 September (H.S.) : The Calcutta High Court on Thursday strongly rebuked the Election Commission over its decision to strip the Indian Secular Front (ISF) of its familiar 'envelope' election symbol ahead of the upcoming assembly by-elections, questioning the poll panel's neutrality and conduct. Expressing deep displeasure, the court asked why the Commission consistently takes decisions that trigger controversy and drag political parties into litigation.

The bench of Justice Krishna Rao was hearing a petition moved by Naushad Siddiqui's ISF challenging the poll panel's allocation of symbols for the upcoming by-elections in two assembly constituencies scheduled for October 6. The Commission had allotted the 'almirah' symbol to the ISF while assigning its previously contested 'envelope' symbol to Ritabrata Banerjee's faction, the Democratic Trinamool Congress.

Questioning the rationale behind the sudden change just months after the general assembly polls, Justice Rao observed that when an election begins, it appears as though arbitrary play also starts. The court sharply noted that despite having 183 available symbols, the Commission repeatedly takes decisions that force parties to seek judicial intervention, asking why the disputed symbol was not frozen to avoid confusion.

Appearing for the ISF, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya argued that the Commission should have frozen the 'envelope' symbol to prevent voter confusion. In response, counsel representing the Election Commission contended that the ISF is not a recognized political party on paper and holds no reserved symbol, having been allotted the 'envelope' merely as a free symbol during previous elections.

Unconvinced by the Commission's explanation, the court reiterated that statutory technicalities notwithstanding, a symbol granted during a primary election should not be abruptly withdrawn in a subsequent by-election, stressing that the Commission must act with complete impartiality. The court also questioned the stance of the Democratic Trinamool Congress, seeking to know why they opted for a symbol already associated with another party. Counsel for the faction submitted that they had submitted a list of three preferences, from which the Commission finalized the allocation.

Directing the Election Commission to provide comprehensive details by Friday explaining why no formal notification was issued regarding the change in ISF's symbol, the High Court scheduled further proceedings in the matter.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh