The Supreme Court on Saturday refused to interfere with a Calcutta High Court order that upheld the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to deploy central government and public sector undertaking employees as counting supervisors and assistants for counting the votes polled in the West Bengal Assembly elections on May 4.Disposing of an appeal filed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenging the April 30 high court order, a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi declined to pass further orders after the ECI counsel, Senior Advocate D S Naidu, termed the apprehensions “completely misplaced” and said it is following its circular, which also provided for state government employees in the counting process.“No further orders are necessary…except to reiterate the statement of Senior Advocate D S Naidu that the circular dated April 13, 2027, will be implemented in true letter and spirit,” the bench said.Also Read | Guard EVM strong rooms, I will do it too… exit polls meant to demoralise TMC: MamataSenior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the TMC, pointed out that as per the circular, which is part of the ECI’s handbook, there had to be “random selection of state government and central government employees” for counting duty, but only central government employees were being deployed.Countering this, Naidu said, “The returning officer has the overarching power and is from the state government…And everything happens under his supervision. He picks up by way of randomisation, both the counting supervisor and also the counting assistant. And we have alternated in such a way that if the first one is from the central government, the other is from the state government and vice versa.”“Thereafter, each candidate will have his own agents. If there are 10 tables, there will be 10 agents. They will be just watching the proceedings…it’s a completely misplaced apprehension…,” he added.No such arrangement in 4 other states: What the TMC arguedThe TMC had moved the high court against a communication issued by the additional chief electoral officer on April 30 mandating that at least one among the counting supervisors or counting assistants at each counting table be a central government or PSU employee.Story continues below this adThe TMC had argued that it was issued without any jurisdiction. The party also contended that the Election Commission has not made any such arrangement in four other states, which also went to the polls along with Bengal.Also Read | As Bengal clocks record turnout, women continue to outvote menRejecting the TMC plea, the high court had said: “It is the prerogative of the office of the Election Commission of India to appoint the counting supervisor and counting assistant either from the state government or the central government. This court does not find any illegality…”.The high court also noted that counting is conducted under CCTV surveillance and that apart from the counting supervisor and the counting assistant, micro-observers, counting agents of the candidates contesting the election and counting personnel will also be in the counting room.Also Read | Late-night drama in Kolkata as TMC claims EVMs tampered, poll officials reject charge“Only the counting supervisor and the counting assistants will not be in the counting room. Micro-observers, counting agents of the candidates who are contesting the election and counting personnel will also be in the counting room. Thus, it is impossible to believe the allegation made by the petitioner,” the high court said.Story continues below this adIt, however, made it clear that if any malpractice occurs during the counting, the petitioner would be at liberty to challenge the same in an election petition. “If the petitioner finds that during the counting, the central government employees who have been appointed as counting supervisors and counting assistants favoured the candidate of the BJP…, the petitioner has the liberty to challenge the same in an election petition,” the high court had said.