"Elections Can't Be Followed By Violence": Bengal's Supreme Court Setback
NDTV
The Bengal government and State Election Commission had challenged Calcutta High Court's order directing central forces for security during Panchayat polls.
Elections cannot be a license for violence, the Supreme Court said today as it dismissed the Mamata Banerjee government's challenge to the deployment of central forces in Bengal for the July 8 local body polls.
"We appreciate that you have a democratic setup for elections from top to bottom, but the elections cannot be followed by violence," said the Supreme Court, in sharp comments to the Bengal government.
"The tenor of the High Court order is to ensure free and fair elections," the Supreme Court said.
The Bengal government and the State Election Commission had challenged the Calcutta High Court's order directing central forces for security during the Panchayat polls.
