The PIL was filed by Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, state committee, Davanagere
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The petitioners said regular govt or local-authority employees should be considered for BLO duties first, with anganwadi workers deployed only in exceptional circumstances, after the non-availability of eligible regular employees is properly established. Bengaluru: Karnataka high court Thursday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI), chief electoral officer of Karnataka, and the state govt on a petition challenging the appointment and deployment of anganwadi workers as booth-level officers (BLOs) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The PIL was filed by Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, state committee, Davanagere. They argued that routinely assigning them election-related duties could affect these critical services and interfere with their primary responsibilities. Download the TOI App.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice KS Hemalekha, after a brief hearing, directed the respondents to submit their responses and posted the matter for further consideration on Dec 1. The petitioners cited ECI guidelines issued on June 5, 2025, which stated that BLOs should first be appointed from among regular Group C and above employees of the state govt or local authorities.
Anganwadi workers should be considered for BLO duties only as a fallback when eligible regular employees are unavailable and after following the required non-availability certificate procedure, according to the union. The petitioners said anganwadi workers already perform several essential public-welfare duties, including early childhood care and education, providing supplementary nutrition, assisting pregnant women and lactating mothers, conducting home visits, and monitoring malnourished children.