Overview
- The Calcutta High Court on August 4 declined to halt the Election Commission’s move to appoint primary school teachers as Booth Level Officers for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- Petitioning teachers warned that undefined BLO duties could force them into full-time roles on holidays and Sundays, disrupting their 10 am–4 pm teaching schedules.
- Justice Amrita Sinha found no legal barrier to assigning primary teachers as BLOs and emphasized that their core teaching duties must remain unimpeded.
- The court directed that all BLO tasks follow the EC’s 2022 Comprehensive Instructions, noting that specific responsibilities and schedules are still under development.
- The EC counsel said the appointments were made in consultation with school authorities and that just 15 of the 48,000 drafted teachers have filed challenges.