Supreme Court Rejects TMC Plea Against Central Staff Deployment for Bengal Vote Counting

Bench upholds EC’s authority to appoint PSU, government employees as counting supervisors; TMC had alleged political bias

The Supreme Court on Saturday dismissed a petition filed by the All India Trinamool Congress challenging the appointment of central government and public sector undertaking employees as counting supervisors for the West Bengal Assembly elections.

A special bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi ruled that the Election Commission’s circular issued on April 13, 2026, would remain in force and that no separate court order was required on the matter.

No relief from top court

The TMC had approached the Supreme Court after the Calcutta High Court turned down its objections last week. The party argued that deploying only central and PSU employees as counting supervisors could influence the counting process in favour of political opponents.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for TMC, told the bench that his party did not expect justice from the Election Commission. The court, however, declined to intervene, stating that no direction could be issued to the poll body on this question.

High Court had upheld EC’s jurisdiction

The Calcutta High Court had earlier rejected the TMC’s plea, observing that the appointment of counting personnel falls squarely within the Election Commission’s jurisdiction. The court found no illegality in the move and noted that allegations of political influence on central government employees remained unsubstantiated.

The High Court had also said any grievances regarding the counting process could be raised through an election petition after the results.

EC defends its authority

Responding to the developments, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said political parties do not have the right to decide who should be part of the counting process. “The entire process is under the jurisdiction of the returning officer,” he told reporters in Kolkata.

Election Commission officials added that the April 13 circular was issued to ensure transparency and uniformity across all counting centres.

What happens next

Counting of votes for the West Bengal Assembly elections is scheduled over the coming week. With the Supreme Court’s dismissal, central government and PSU employees will continue to serve as counting supervisors across the state’s 294 constituencies.

Political observers say the ruling removes a last-minute procedural hurdle but could keep tensions high between the state government and the poll body. TMC has not indicated whether it plans to file a review petition.

The 8th Pay Commission has received a wide-ranging set of demands from the Federation of National Postal Organisations (FNPO), with the postal employees’ body seeking a steep revision in salaries, promotions and service benefits for India Post staff. In its memorandum submitted on April 20, FNPO urged the commission to raise the basic salary of a postman from the current Rs 25,500 to Rs 1.12 lakh, marking one of the most significant pay revision demands placed before the panel so far.

The development assumes significance ahead of the commission’s scheduled consultations with employee unions in New Delhi from April 28 to 30, according to officials familiar with the process. The 8th Pay Commission is expected to examine representations from multiple central government staff bodies as part of its ongoing review, making this one of the key Government Updates in the current policy cycle.

Fitment Factor Demand

At the centre of FNPO’s proposal is a demand to raise the fitment factor to 3.83 from 2.57 under the 7th Pay Commission. The fitment factor determines the revised basic salary by multiplying the existing base pay.

If accepted, the proposed formula would push the minimum basic pay for Level-1 employees, including multi-tasking staff, to around Rs 69,000 from Rs 18,000. FNPO argued that the current salary structure no longer reflects the cost of living and needs urgent correction under the 8th Pay Commission framework.

Higher Annual Increment

The federation has also sought a doubling of annual increments from 3 per cent to 6 per cent. In its submission, FNPO said the present increment rate has remained unchanged since the 6th Pay Commission and has failed to keep pace with rising household expenses.

The organisation cited higher housing costs, education expenses and medical inflation as key reasons for the proposed increase. It argued that dearness allowance adjustments alone have not been sufficient to offset the erosion in real wages, as per reports submitted to the commission.

Five Promotions Sought

Another major demand relates to career progression. FNPO has asked for at least five promotions for every postal employee during service under the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme.

The federation said limited promotion avenues in the postal department have led to stagnation and lower lifetime earnings for employees. It maintained that the expanded role of postal staff, especially in financial and digital services, warrants faster and more structured career advancement.

HRA, GDS Inclusion

FNPO has also proposed a substantial increase in house rent allowance (HRA). It has sought HRA at 40 per cent of basic pay in X-category cities, 35 per cent in Y-category cities and 30 per cent in Z-category cities. At present, the rates stand at 27 per cent, 18 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.

The federation has further demanded that rural postal workers, including Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS), be brought under the 8th Pay Commission.

Women, Health Benefits

In its memorandum, FNPO also proposed a set of gender and welfare reforms. These include 12 days of menstrual leave annually, improved child care leave, workplace crèche facilities and women-sensitive postings.

The organisation has also sought universal cashless treatment under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) for all postal employees and pensioners. It recommended expansion of CGHS services to district headquarters with at least 1,000 central government employees and pensioners, according to officials.

What Happens Next

The 8th Pay Commission will hold consultations with unions and staff organisations in New Delhi between April 28 and 30. The commission has indicated that it has received a large number of representations and may conduct additional regional consultations in the coming weeks.

For postal employees, the FNPO memorandum has set the tone for what could become one of the most closely watched salary negotiations under the 8th Pay Commission.