Kolkata, March 23 (H.S.): The administrative reshuffle ordered by the Election Commission following the announcement of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 came under judicial scrutiny on Monday, with Trinamool Congress MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee challenging the move before the Kolkata High Court.

During the hearing before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sujay Paul and Justice Parthasarathi Sen, Banerjee alleged that the Commission had effectively created an “unwarranted emergency-like situation” in the state without invoking Article 356.

He argued that several senior officials, including the Chief Secretary and top police officials, were removed overnight without justification. Questioning the rationale, he said that even officials not directly linked to election duties had been transferred.

Citing data in court, Banerjee said that 16 IAS officers and 63 police officials had been shifted. He raised concerns over who would handle any major contingency in the absence of experienced officials.

State Advocate General Kishore Dutta also questioned the extent of the Commission’s powers, stating that its primary mandate is to conduct elections and manage electoral rolls, and asked whether it has the authority to transfer officials not directly involved in election work.

Opposing the plea, the Commission’s counsel questioned the maintainability of the petition, arguing that a government panel lawyer should not file a public interest litigation. The Commission maintained that such steps are necessary to ensure free and fair elections and that similar transfers have been carried out in other states as well.

Though the hearing concluded for the day, the matter remains contentious. The court is scheduled to take up the case again on Wednesday, with political observers closely watching the developments.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey