Bengal panchayat polls | SC dismisses plea against Calcutta HC order directing deployment of Central forces

The Supreme Court on June 20 dismissed petitions filed by the West Bengal Government and the State Election Commission against the Calcutta High Court order to requisition Central security forces for panchayat elections.

The Supreme Court on June 20 dismissed petitions filed by the West Bengal Government and the State Election Commission against the Calcutta High Court order to requisition Central security forces for panchayat elections.

Noting that panchayat elections are to be held to a mammoth 75,000-odd seats and 61,000 polling booths have been set up, the top court said the High Court order was passed to ensure free and fair polls.

“The local polls have to be held in a single day. Under these circumstances, the HC was justified in its order to requisition Central security forces,” it said.

The order was passed by a Vacation Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Manoj Misra.

The High Court had on June 15 directed the SEC to requisition and deploy Central forces across West Bengal for the panchayat elections within 48 hours.

The court had noted that no appreciable steps had been taken ever since it passed an order on June 13 to deploy Central forces in sensitive areas for the poll process.

The High Court had directed the SEC to requisition Central forces for deployment in all the districts of the State that were rocked by violence during filing of nominations for the July 8 panchayat elections.