Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court on Thursday issued an order asking the state authorities to file complaints against the BDO, SDO and three employees of the state’s backward classes welfare department in Uluberia over a CPM candidate being deliberately kept out of the rural poll fray.

She ordered departmental proceedings against them, accusing them of conspiring against Kashmira Begam, a CPM candidate who had filed her nomination from contesting gram panchayat poll from Uluberia Block 1 gram panchayat.

The BDO, SDO and the three employees had allegedly tampered with the documents submitted by Kashmira during the nomination submission process. As the officials allegedly tampered with the nomination papers, her candidature was cancelled during scrutiny.

The judge’s order followed a recommendation by Justice Debi Prasad De, a former judge of Calcutta High Court who was appointed by adivision bench of the courtto conduct a probe into the issue.

The former judge in his report placed before Justice Sinha during the day held that the BDO and SDO were the masterminds and the employees of the backward classes welfare department were also involved.

Justice De also held that the OBC certificate of Lufta Begum, the Trinamul candidate declared winner from the seat, was forged.

The report said that when a resident of the area wentto lodge complaint saying that the OBC certificate submitted by Lufta was fake, the BDO declined to accept it. He asked the person to come withproof.

The judge held that BDO should have conducted an inquiry on the basis of the complaint.

After the panchayat poll was over, Kashmira andanother CPM candidate moved Justice Sinha’s court alleging that the BDO had illegally cancelled their candidatures.

Following that petition, Justice Sinha had directed the CBI to conduct a probe into the issue. The state government and the State Election Commission had moved division bench headed by Justice Harish Tandon against Justice Sinha’s order.

The division bench stayed the CBI probe order andset up a one-man judicialcommission led by Justice Debi Prasad De to conduct a probe into the issue. After his probe, Justice De submitted his report in court on Thursday.

The former high court judge also recommended that the BDO, SDO and accused staff be suspended with immediate effect and a fresh poll for the gram panchayat seat be held.

CPM leader Samik Lahiri welcomed the recommendation and said it proved their charges about the role of government officials and police in electoral malpractices.

A Trinamul leader refuted Lahiri’s claim and said it was a one-off incident.

Four summoned

Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court on Thursday summoned four employees of Minakhan BDO’s office to her court on Monday in connection with a case filed by the CPM accusing a Trinamul Congress candidate of filing his nomination for the rural polls when he was not in the country.

The petitioner alleged that the candidate had left for Saudi Arabia for Haj on June 4 but submitted his nomination papers on June 14.

The judge had sought the clarification from the local BDO. After hearing the BDO, the judge felt it necessary to interrogate four employees of the BDO’s office.