TFP Bureau, Raipur, April 14, 2025: The Kolkata High Court has expressed complete satisfaction with the procedures followed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding nomination and citizenship verification in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The court’s ruling came during the hearing of the case, WPA(P)/85/2025 – Manik Fakir @ Manik Mondal vs Union of India & Ors., which raised concerns over the proper verification of elected representatives’ citizenship.
The petitioner argued that comprehensive citizenship verification should be mandatory for all candidates and claimed that the ECI had not conducted this process adequately. The petitioner also voiced concerns that foreign nationals could illegally acquire Indian citizenship and potentially participate in the upcoming 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
In response, Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam, who led the bench, clarified that the Election Commission acts upon receiving election notifications and when a candidate files their nomination. He emphasized that the ECI already has sufficient checks and balances in place within its procedures to address any concerns related to citizenship and election integrity.
Justice Sivagnanam further stated that if any valid complaints regarding nominations are raised, they are promptly investigated and acted upon. He also noted that introducing new procedures is a legislative function, which falls outside the scope of the court’s jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution.
With these observations, the court dismissed the petition, affirming that the Election Commission’s procedures were both valid and satisfactory.
