Tripura civic polls: SC asks Trinamool Congress to move High Court on plea seeking investigation
The court noted that it had dealt with the urgent aspects of the plea, and that the remaining appeals in the petition should be heard by the Tripura High Court.
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Trinamool Congress to approach the Tripura High Court in relation to the party’s petition regarding irregularities during civic polls in the state, Live Law reported.
The Trinamool Congress had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking investigation into its allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party. In the plea, the Trinamool Congress had accused the BJP of assaulting its candidates in the civic polls and vandalising their homes.
On November 11, the Supreme Court had asked the Tripura Police to ensure that no political party was prevented from campaigning peacefully. However on November 22, the Trinamool Congress moved a contempt petition in the court, alleging that the authorities in Tripura had not complied with the court’s orders.
While hearing this contempt petition on November 25, the day of voting for the civic polls, the court had ordered the Centre to deploy two additional companies of the Central Armed Police Forces in Tripura.
On Thursday, a three-judge bench was hearing both the writ petition and the contempt case.
Justice DY Chandrachud noted that while the Supreme Court would continue to hear the contempt case, the Trinamool Congress should approach the Tripura High Court regarding its appeals in the writ petition, Live Law reported.
Chandrachud said that in normal course of action, writ petitions are heard by High Courts, according to Article 226 of the Constitution. He also noted that the Trinamool Congress had at first moved the plea to the Tripura High Court. But, later withdrew the petition and approached the Supreme Court, as the High Court was on a vacation.
“Now the election process is complete, the results have been declared,” Chandrachud said. “...We intervened only as the interest of free and fair elections is of such overall importance that we felt that the Supreme Court could not have wasted.”
The judge observed that the Supreme Court had dealt with the urgent aspects of the matter. He added that the court would allow Trinamool Congress to revive its petition in the Tripura High Court.
The BJP won 217 of the 222 civic body seats that went to polls. In addition to this, the party had won 112 seats unopposed. The party bagged all the seats in 11 of the 14 urban local bodies, including in the Agartala Municipal Corporation. Opposition parties alleged that the elections had been rigged.
