SC agrees to list plea challenging Calcutta HC’s order on deployment of central forces

On Monday, the Supreme Court decided to schedule a hearing for June 20 to hear the appeal of the Calcutta High Court’s ruling permitting the use of centralised forces during panchayat elections. Justices Surya Kant and MM Sundresh consented to sit on a vacation-only bench to hear the case tomorrow.
Meenakshi Arora, a senior attorney, asked the Supreme Court to list the plea against the Calcutta High Court’s ruling permitting the use of centralised forces during panchayat elections on an urgent basis.

Prior to this, the West Bengal State Election Commission and the West Bengal Government appealed the Calcutta High Court’s decision regarding the use of centralised troops during panchayat elections to the Supreme Court.

Senior Attorney Arora informed the Supreme Court that the State Poll Panel has been instructed to requisition by the HC. She stated that the order from the Calcutta High Court dated June 13 and June 15 has been contested by the West Bengal State Election Commission.

Prior to the Panchayat elections, which are set for July 8, the state had ongoing conflicts in a number of locations, including an outbreak of hostility at the Block Development Office in Ahmadpur, Birbhum, where it is said that crude bombs were thrown. Additionally, a TMC employee was murdered in the Malda neighbourhood.

The election will take place on July 8 in a single phase, and the results will be tallied on July 11. As a litmus test for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal’s panchayat elections will feature a heated struggle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the incumbent Trinamool Congress.