Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, June 20: The Calcutta High Court’s directive to send central troops to West Bengal during the panchayat elections was upheld by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court criticised the State Election Commission (SEC) as well, saying that “holding elections cannot be a license for violence.” The Supreme Court further declared that it is the duty of the state election commission to hold a free and fair election.
The Calcutta High Court’s decision permitting the use of central troops during panchayat elections was being challenged in a case before the Supreme Court.
The appeals submitted by the West Bengal government and the election board were dismissed by a bench made up of Justices BV Nagarathna and Manoj Misra.
“No interference is needed in the orders of the high court’s order. Central forces can be deployed in the state. There is no wrong in the high court’s order of deployment of central forces in the panchayat elections,” the top court said.
The bench in its order said, “The fact remains that the tenor of the order of the High Court is ultimately to ensure that a free and fair election is conducted for the entire State of West Bengal, since State is conducting election for local bodies on a single day and having regard to the volume of booths which are being set up. We find that the order of the HC does not call for any interference. SLP stands dismissed.”
Nine persons have already lost their lives as a result of the numerous violent and arsonous occurrences that have been recorded in the state during the panchayat election nomination process.
“What the HC may have thought is that instead of requisitioning forces from other neighbouring states it is better to deploy central forces and expenses would be borne by the Centre,” the top court said in its remarks.
“We are conscious of the fact that before we move for polling, there will be a campaigning period. We have to request the state for the forces needed. We have asked for companies to be deployed, ” a state election commissioner told the court.
Responding to this, the court said, “It’s the responsibility of the poll body to conduct the election in a fair and free manner. How is the election commission aggrieved by this order? Where the forces come from is not the concern of the State Election Commission, then how is the petition maintainable?”
The Trinamool Congress, which is in power, asserted that holding free and fair elections is their top priority and that they will do so by mobilising sufficient forces.
On June 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the election board to use central paramilitary personnel in West Bengal’s upcoming Panchayat elections. The Commission was given a 48-hour deadline by the HC on June 15 to ask for central soldiers for every district in the state.
The state government and the state polling organisation jointly appealed this ruling to the highest court.
The three-tier Panchayati Raj system will hold elections for roughly 75,000 seats on July 8 with the results being tallied on July 11. There are around 61,000 voting booths set up.
