The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal Police to complete the verification of a constable candidate within 48 hours, ruling that his mother’s deletion from the voter list could not by itself justify keeping his recruitment verification pending.
Justice Krishna Rao passed the direction after hearing a petition by 22-year-old Abdul Hamid Sk, a resident of Nabagram in Murshidabad. Abdul had qualified in the recruitment process for a constable post conducted by the West Bengal Police Recruitment Board, securing 63.9 out of 100 in the written examination and interview process.
The case arose after Abdul’s police verification was not completed following the deletion of his mother Atar Ban Bibi’s name from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision of Bengal’s voter list. Atar Ban Bibi has challenged her removal before the tribunal handling such deletion cases.
The court noted that Abdul’s own name appeared on the voter list and that he had cast his vote. “There was no reason for the authority” to withhold his verification because his mother’s name had been deleted from the voter list, Justice Rao observed, according to the report submitted to the court.
The judge directed the inspector general of police or any other appropriate authority to finish the verification within 48 hours. The order places the immediate responsibility for completing the recruitment-related process with the police authorities rather than allowing the parent’s electoral-roll status to remain a reason for delay.
The Election Commission’s counsel told the court that Abdul falls into the category of persons born after July 1, 1987. On that basis, the counsel submitted that verification of both parents was mandatory under the Citizenship Act. The submission formed part of the court proceedings concerning the documents and verification requirements applicable to Abdul’s case.
The ruling separates the status of an individual candidate from a disputed change in a parent’s electoral record. In Abdul’s case, the court relied on the fact that his own name was on the voter list and that he had voted, while his mother’s deletion remains under challenge before the designated tribunal.
The case also illustrates how electoral-roll revisions can intersect with public-sector recruitment procedures when authorities seek family-related documents during verification. The court’s direction, however, was specific to the pending verification and did not determine the outcome of the mother’s appeal against deletion.
The next formal step is for the inspector general of police or the appropriate police authority to complete Abdul’s verification within the 48-hour period ordered by the Calcutta High Court.
