The Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on West Bengal chief secretary Dushyant Nariala, asking why he did not answer the many calls made by the Chief Justice of Calcutta high court. Displeased with the ECI-appointed official’s clarification, the Supreme Court further asked him to “lower” himself a bit so “minions” like the Chief Justice to convey their messages.
The court’s remarks came as it lashed out on several West Bengal administration officials over the gherao of seven judicial officers who were posted for the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter roll exercise in Malda district.
‘Lower yourself for minions like…’
When asked why he didn’t answer the Calcutta high court Chief Justice’s calls, Nariala reportedly said that he received no calls and was on a flight between 2pm and 4pm on the relevant time, reported LiveLaw.
The chief secretary also said that his phone is a highly secured device.
Irked by this response, a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed him to issue an apology to the Chief Justice of the high court.
“Security so high that even the Chief Justice of Calcutta high court cannot access? So please lower yourself a bit so ordinary minions like the Chief Justice of high court can access you,” LiveLaw quoted Justice Bagchi as saying.
In response, the Bengal chief secretary profusely apologised.
Dushyant Nariala was recently posted as chief secretary in the poll-bound Bengal by the Election Commission of India (ECI), replacing Nandini Chakravorty who was appointed to the post on December 31, 2025.
What happened to judicial officers in Malda?
During the Monday hearing, the Supreme Court directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation in the alleged hostage-taking of seven judicial officers, including women, in Malda.
The top court came down heavily on the state and police administration in Bengal and said that the situation reflected a complete failure of governance and coordination.
“Only because of sheer failure of State and police administration… the ECI is kept in the dark. You don’t communicate with the high court or ECI, and this lack created disturbance in the State,” the court said, according to an ANI news agency report.
The poll officers who were gheraoed had been tasked with adjudicating cases of voters whose names had been marked “under adjudication” in the draft electoral rolls. They were confined for hours inside the Kaliachak 2 Block Development Office on Wednesday. The crowd that led this gherao alleged that genuine voters’ names had been dropped from the voters’ list.
