Kolkata, Sept. 24 -- The Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the Election Commission's decision to allot the 'envelope' symbol to the newly formed Democratic Trinamool Congress for the upcoming by-election, despite the Indian Secular Front (ISF) already using the symbol.
Justice Krishna Rao said the poll panel should have exercised greater caution while assigning symbols, particularly when the same symbol was being sought by parties contesting the same election. The court noted that the Commission has 183 free symbols available for allotment.
The observations came during the hearing of an ISF petition challenging the reassignment of the symbol. The court questioned why the EC had allowed a situation that could lead to a dispute when an alternative symbol could have been allotted to the new party. The court also expressed concern over litigants being repeatedly forced to approach it over decisions of the election authority. Justice Rao questioned whether the authority should take decisions that result in parties being compelled to initiate legal proceedings.
The EC's counsel sought time to obtain instructions on why a separate notification regarding allotment of symbols for the by-election had not been issued. The counsel also submitted that candidates have the option of choosing a symbol. The ISF, however, disputed this, arguing that the final allotment rests with the Commission. The court adjourned the hearing till Friday.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.