A Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj of Calcutta High Court directed today that affidavit has to be given by the state government and the state election commission as to why Howrah Municipal Corporation election is not been held.
The matter will come up for next hearing on 6 January. Earlier, state advocate general, SN Mookerjee submitted that owing to a wrong understanding he had made an incorrect submission that the civic election of Howrah Municipal Corporation is scheduled to be held on 22 January and that Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has signed the Bill about the separation of Bali civic body from that of Howrah.
“On the first day I had said that the governor had not signed the Bill but on the second day following instruction I learnt that it had been signed and submitted accordingly before this court. But it was not signed,”the advocate general further submitted and sought an opportunity before the Division Bench of Chief to file a fresh affidavit It was granted by the court. Was the date that you had stated part of a proposal and not the final one, the court asked the advocate general. He replied in the affirmative. The advocate general was appearing in a petition seeking immediate holding of Howrah Municipal Corporation elections.
The petitioner, Mousumi Roy also challenged the recent notification of the State Election Commission (SEC) which excluded Howrah but announced elections in four other civic bodies. The petition questioned the exclusion of the civic polls in Howrah as the recent Advocate general had earlier stated that governor had signed the Bill regarding the civic polls of Howrah and Bali civic polls. But this contention was denied by the governor, the petition noted, and sought that an investigation be started to find out who has caused the confusion.