Ajay Pal Sharma PIL Supreme Court
New Delhi/Kolkata, April 29, 2026 – In a dramatic escalation of the electoral tensions surrounding the West Bengal Assembly elections, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court of India late Tuesday night, seeking the immediate removal of IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma from his duty as a police observer in the South 24 Parganas district. The petitioner, Aditya Das, alleges that Sharma, a senior Uttar Pradesh-cadre officer known as the “Singham of UP,” has been acting in a highly partisan manner, thereby compromising the fairness of the electoral process.
The petition contends that since assuming charge, Sharma has engaged in “acts of intimidation” and “undue influence,” including threats directed at political candidates. The plea argues that such conduct from an Election Commission-appointed observer fundamentally weakens the integrity of the elections and undermines public confidence in the process. The filing invokes Article 32 of the Constitution, urging the Supreme Court to intervene to ensure the second phase of polling, scheduled for today, proceeds in a free and fair environment.
Before moving to the Supreme Court, the matter had been brought before the Calcutta High Court. However, on Tuesday, the High Court declined to pass any order restraining Sharma or any other officer on election duty until the conclusion of the second phase of polling. Justice Krishna Rao noted that the court would not intervene in the deployment of election observers during the immediate window of the polling process.
The deployment of Sharma has been a flashpoint of contention between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC supporters have staged protests near the observer’s residence and the local election office of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan, accusing him of bias against their party. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the officer’s methods, often described as aggressive due to his record as an “encounter specialist,” have drawn criticism from multiple local political entities who claim his presence “vitiates the electoral environment”.
As voting begins across 142 constituencies today, the legal challenge remains a significant backdrop to the polling process. While the Supreme Court has yet to officially list the matter for hearing or issue any directives, the filing underscores the growing friction between political stakeholders and the administration regarding the conduct of the second phase of the West Bengal elections.
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