The Calcutta High Court yesterday stayed the election process of the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) till November over allegations of irregularities in sending ballot papers to voters and in the electoral rolls. In the voting process, seven medical teachers at various medical colleges of the state were to be elected by 2,850 eligible voters and nine others from general medical practitioners by 49,800 eligible voters, lawyer for WBMC Saibalendu Bhowmick said. Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty stayed the election process and said the matter would be taken up for hearing again in November.

Baijayanti Baur and four other doctors moved a petition before the high court alleging irregularities in the electoral rolls and in the process of sending ballot papers to voters through postal service. The filled in ballot papers of medical teachers were scheduled to be sent to the WBMC by August 20, while that for the doctors were to be sent by August 22, lawyer for the medical council, Saibalendu Bhowmick said. The petitioners claimed that there were severe malpractices in sending of ballot papers to voters by way of empty envelopes reaching the voters.