The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the West Bengal State Election Commission’s (WBSEC) report on the action taken to control the widespread violence in the recently-held panchayat polls in the state. Expressing dissatisfaction over the role of the SEC in dealing with the recurring cases of violence, which has claimed more than 40 lives so far, the court frowned upon the absence of the any SEC officials in the court today.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya opined that the commission’s report was not satisfactory and incomplete. Justice Sivagnanam also observed that the fate of the candidates declared elected in the three-tier of panchayat system will to a great extent depend on the outcome of the petitions filed on this count. He directed all the petitioners in the matter to submit the related documents by Thursday. The matter will come up for hearing again on 18 July.
Three PILs have been filed at the Division Bench of the Chief Justice in relation to the poll-related violence. While the first petitioner is Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, the second is BJP leader and Calcutta High Court counsel Priyanka Tibrewal. The third petitioner is an individual Farhad Mullick.
“The court will specially look into charges against the Commission of extending non-cooperation in effective deployment and utilisation of the central armed forces personnel. If the state cannot provide protection to the people of the state, the court will take up the matter seriously. The commission should file an affidavit on this count. The court is monitoring everything,” Justice Sivagnanam observed.