Bengal panchayat polls: Deploy over 82,000 central security personnel, HC tells state election panel
The Calcutta High Court directed the election commission to requisition more companies of central forces than it did for the 2013 polls.
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered the West Bengal State Election Commission to requisition over 82,000 personnel from central forces for deployment during panchayat elections, PTI reported.
The polls will be held in a single phase on July 8 and votes will be counted on July 11. Ever since the election date was announced on June 8, at least seven people have died in political violence. The Bharatiya Janata Party, the Left and the Congress have accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of preventing their candidates from filing nominations.
On Wednesday, a division bench headed by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam noted that during the 2013 panchayat elections in the state, the poll panel had asked for 82,000 personnel from central forces. It directed the commission to requisition more companies of central forces than it did in 2013.
The state election commission had sought to deploy 22 companies from central forces for the upcoming election while in 2013, a total of 825 companies had been deployed.
The High Court said it “reposed great faith” in the commission, but it did not live up to its confidence, Live Law reported. “Court shouldn’t lose faith in the system…but if ultimately people are starting to lose faith, then what is purpose of conducting elections?” the court asked.
The bench noted that the number of districts in the state has increased from 17 in 2013 to 22 currently, and that the population has also increased in this duration.
Chief Justice Sivagnanam said that the poll panel has a constitutional obligation to ensure free and fair elections.
“The SEC [State Election Commission] is directed to implement this decision in a proper and effective manner and the Court hopes that the direction will be complied with in letter and spirit,” the court said in its order. “Any attempt to make the order unworkable shall have adverse consequences.”
The case will be heard again on Friday.
The West Bengal government had challenged the Calcutta High Court order for requisitioning Central forces in the Supreme Court. However, the vacation bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Manoj Misra dismissed the appeals saying that “holding elections cannot be a licence for violence”.