PIL filed in Calcutta HC challenging Rajiva Sinha’s appointment as election commissioner

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Calcutta High Court on Monday challenging the West Bengal election commissioner’s Rajiva Sinha appointment.

The matter is likely to be heard next week. Rajiv Sinha was appointed as the SEC on June 7 and the panchayat elections were declared on June 8 for July 8, a move termed hasty by the Opposition parties. Notably, Sinha’s appointment was cleared by the Governor.
However, the Governor decided not to accept Sinha’s joining letter after the High Court’s observations.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has refused to accept the joining letter of State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha,

According to the sources, this comes after Sinha failed to attend the discussion called by the Governor over the sensitive matter related to the Panchayat election issue.

The development came after the Calcutta High Court came down heavily on the State Election Commissioner, telling him that he should step down if he finds it difficult to take orders for the deployment of central forces in the state for the panchayat elections.

The Calcutta High Court earlier had ordered the requisition and deployment of central forces in all the districts of the state for the panchayat polls. (ANI)