The Calcutta High Court, in its recent ruling, has extended the deployment of central forces for the panchayat elections in West Bengal for an additional 10 days.
The Centre informed the court that out of the 239 companies deployed as per its orders, 136 companies have already been withdrawn.
The division bench, headed by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, directed the state government and the State Election Commission to identify areas with prevailing disturbances. The remaining central forces will be deployed to such places for the next 10 days.
The bench headed by Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, said that the central government has the liberty to withdraw the central forces as per their plan of action.
During the previous hearing on July 12, the court emphasized that the election of successful candidates will subject to the outcome of the writ petitions filed regarding allegations of electoral malpractices.
The lawyer for one of the petitioners submitted that repolling was done in 696 booths, which is only 0.1 per cent of the total booths.
One of the petitioners’ lawyers stated that repolling was conducted in 696 booths, which constitutes only 0.1% of the total booths. The lawyer argued that it was impractical for the SEC to review video footage of all the booths with reported violence.
The court directed the SEC to file its reply on this.
Lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal presented approximately 400 complaints of irregularities filed with the SEC, along with affidavits from several displaced individuals unable to return to their homes.
She mentioned 2 women who submitted affidavits, alleging assault and molestation on the day of the election and counting, respectively, and were present in the court.
The bench instructed the concerned police stations to provide sufficient police escort to the displaced individuals, enabling them to return to their villages and reside peacefully in their homes.
The court stated that the district SPs concerned will monitor it so that the displaced persons can reach their villages and live peacefully in their homes.
During the July 8 elections, the state’s Advocate General (AG) SN Mookherjee informed the court that assessments have been conducted, and funds have been released for repairs.
The court also inquired about the identification of individuals responsible for the destruction of property & schools and the actions taken in response. The AG confirmed that FIRs have been lodged, and appropriate actions were underway.
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