New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea challenging a Calcutta High Court order directing the State Election Commission (SEC) to seek and deploy central forces across West Bengal for panchayat polls I went. On Monday, senior advocate Meenakshi Arora mentioned the matter before a vacation bench of justices Suryakant and MM Sundaresh and sought an urgent hearing.
Arora, appearing for the SEC, said an appeal against the order was filed last Friday, but it was not heard. The high court had on June 15 directed the SEC to requisition and deploy central forces across West Bengal for panchayat elections within 48 hours. The court had said that no commendable steps have been taken since it passed the order on June 13 for deployment of central forces in sensitive areas for the election process.
The high court had directed the SEC to seek deployment of central forces for all districts in the state that were affected by the violence over the filing of nominations for the July 8 panchayat polls.
Noting that till date no effective steps have been taken to identify sensitive areas from law and order point of view and in the light of the submission of SEC that it may take some more days to do so, the Court had observed, Either way is waiting.” will further damage the situation in the long run and will not help protect the integrity of the election process.”
The High Court had directed the Center to deploy the required number of central forces and the cost would be borne by the central government and no share would have to be given to the state.
The court had on June 13 directed immediate requisition and deployment of central forces in areas and districts declared sensitive by the SEC. The SEC was then directed to review the assessment plan submitted by the state and wherever there is inadequacy of the state police force, the paramilitary force would be deployed.
Opposition leaders, including BJP’s Shubhendu Adhikari and Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, had petitioned the court for the deployment of central forces to ensure peaceful polls, saying the state is likely to hold municipal elections in 2022 and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections. There was widespread violence during. In 2021.
He had also prayed for extension of last date for nomination claiming that the time given was not sufficient. The court left it to the SEC to consider the prayer.