Kolkata
Supreme Court Declines Hearing on Bengal Officer Transfer
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea challenging the Election Commission of India’s decision to transfer several senior IAS and IPS officers from West Bengal to other states after the announcement of the Assembly election schedule.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi said that although the matter raises substantial questions of law, the court was not inclined to entertain the special leave petition in view of the imminent first phase of elections in the state.
The petition, originally filed as a public interest litigation, had earlier been rejected by the Calcutta High Court. The High Court had observed that the transfer of a large number of officers, by itself, could not be considered arbitrary or mala fide.
Following the High Court’s dismissal, the petitioner approached the apex court, which has now upheld the rejection of the challenge.
