What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Calcutta High Court criticises West Bengal State Election Commission’s role in panchayat elections; says results are subject to final orders
KOLKATA: Hearing a matter on electoral malpractices on the day of polling, the division bench of the Calcutta high court stated that the state election commission’s role in panchayat polls is “not very satisfactory”.
The HC division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya also observed that the result of the panchayat elections, declared by the West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC), will be final only after the court’s verdict in the case.
The court stated that the state election commission should inform the winning candidates that their victory will depend on the HC’s final judgement.
The next hearing in the case was set for July 20. During this period, all documents, including CCTV footage and ballots, are ordered to be preserved.
In view of the petition filed by the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, the division bench said, “The role of the commission is not satisfactory. Even today, no officer is present to give a statement. The commission is not ready to explain on what basis the re-polling at 698 booths took place.”
The court stated that it failed to understand why, after so many precautions and alerts, such mayhem could not be stopped.
The HC also said, “Police have failed to protect the citizens in some cases. Let the commission give an affidavit about the allegations against them. Then the court will consider the matter.”
In the case, petitioners prayed for the re-polling of 50,000 booths.
The violence and the catastrophic situation on the day of polling took several lives and left many others injured in the state.
Several incidents of ballot looting, throwing away ballot boxes and setting fire to ballot papers and boxes have taken place.
Political parties blamed each other for the violence in the state, which also saw many voters were prevented from exercising their franchise.
