Kolkata, Jul 5 : The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday questioned the role of the State Election Commission (SEC) over a Trinamool Congress candidate filing nomination for the July 8 panchayat elections from abroad.

“What would have happened had the matter not come before the court? The nomination filed from abroad would have been considered valid in that case,” observed the single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha.  On June 22, CPI(M) had filed a petition alleging that Trinamool candidate from Kumarjole in North 24 Parganas district, Moinuddin Gazi, was in Saudi Arabia during the nomination phase. However, his nomination was accepted by the local block development office, raising questions as to how could a candidate file his nomination from abroad, when his personal presence is mandatory at the time of the filing process.