Uncertainty looms over the date of the panchayat elections, 14 May, set by the State Election Commission (SEC) after Justice Subrata Talukdar of Calcutta High Court asked the commission counsel on Tuesday whether the date set for the rural polls is a proposed one.

The report on the security arrangements of the election is yet to be placed before the Division Bench presided over by Chief Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya. The Single Bench directed the commission to place the report before the Chief Justice’s Division Bench on 4 May, when the date of the panchayat elections will be decided.

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Last week, the SEC had notified 14 May as the rural poll date. But Justice Talukdar noted the SEC’s “homework” on security arrangements was “unsatisfactory”. As of now, 14 May can only be a “proposed poll date”and not final, it was observed.

The role of the commission has not been appropriate and “blinkers” have been sought to be placed, the Bench observed. Earlier, the counsel representing the commission submitted that the SEC had acted according to the court’s order and done everything legally required.

Submitting that the 2013 rural polls had been held in five phases and the earlier schedule for this year as announced by the SEC was for three phases, the BJP state secretary Pratap Banerjee asked why it was rescheduled for a single phase poll.

CPI-M leader Rabin Deb said the court had directed “meaningful” discussions be held between Opposition parties and the SEC. But the talks had been perfunctory, he claimed.

“The opposition wanted polls on May 14 to be cancelled or stayed,” Trinamul Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee who had appeared in person said. “But their wish has not been fulfilled and the poll date is subject to the court’s approval,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Division Bench of Justice Biswanath Somaddar and Justice Arindam Mukherjee directed CPI-M counsel Shamim Ahmed to place a comprehensive list of candidates who had tried to file their nominations in time but after being prevented tried filing by electronic mode and were refused by the commission. The matter will come up for hearing on Monday.