The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party demanding that Central Armed Police Force personnel be deployed during the civic body elections in Kolkata later this month, reported PTI.
Elections to municipal bodies in Kolkata will be held on December 19.
A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai asked the petitioners to approach the Calcutta High Court. The bench noted that the High Court, being more aware of the security situation and other local aspects, was better equipped to handle such pleas.
“Why 32 [under Article 32 of the Constitution, a petition is filed directly in the Supreme Court]?” the bench asked. “The problem is if we start taking this on 32, there would be no end.”
At the hearing, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing the West Bengal unit of BJP, alleged that the party’s candidates for the civic elections were being threatened and pressured to withdraw their nominations since the poll dates were announced.
“... These threats and violence cast grave infractions on the constitutional mandate of conducting free, fair and democratic election,” the plea stated.
Singh also accused the state police of not registering first information reports even though complaints have been lodged.
The senior advocate pointed out that there was widespread violence in the state after the Assembly election results were declared on May 2. The BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress had blamed each other for the deaths of their party workers in a spell of violence after the results. Various news reports had put the toll between 11 and 14, but the police did not confirm the numbers.
In its plea, the West Bengal unit of BJP said that central forces will help the state administration in conducting free and fair elections.
“Conducting free and fair elections is inherent to the functioning of the democracy and therefore, free and fair elections form part of the basic structure of this democracy,” it added.
After moving the Supreme Court on December 2, the BJP’s West Bengal unit chief Sukanta Majumdar had said that the party feared widespread violence if the voting takes place under the supervision of the state police.
“The opposition will not be allowed to campaign and voters will not be allowed to vote,” Majumdar had alleged. “Only central forces can prevent such a situation.”
On November 25, the Supreme Court had ordered the Centre to deploy two additional companies of the Central Armed Police Forces in Tripura when voting for the civic body elections was underway.
The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by the Trinamool Congress, in which it alleged that the authorities in Tripura did not comply with the court’s order to ensure a safe environment for political parties to campaign for the polls.
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