FirstSpot.
The Supreme Court set 14 May as the date for
the West Bengal panchayat polls and asked the
State Election Commission (SEC) to ensure free and fair polls, according to
several media reports.
In a setback to
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the apex court stayed the results on 18,000
uncontested seats and said unopposed seats in Bengal
cannot be notified, CNN-News 18 reported. The court
also stayed the order on nomination by e-mails.
Earlier, the
division bench of Calcutta High Court said, "Law and order is a state
subject. We expect whenever elections will be held, fair steps will be taken.
The state government will be liable for loss of life and property", ANI reported.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court heard the West Bengal
SEC plea challenging the Calcutta High Court order directing it
to accept the nominations of candidates who have filed their papers
electronically within the stipulated time for the panchayat elections.
The SEC, which approached the apex court on Thursday, sought a
stay on Wednesday's order, saying it would suffer "irreparable loss and
injury" that cannot be compensated.
Anticipating the
SEC's move, the state's main Opposition CPM and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
filed a caveat before
the apex court saying that no ex-parte orders should be passed.
CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said in a tweet, on Wednesday,
that "the TMC, WB Govt and SEC nexus, upset after the landmark judgment of
the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday wanted to move to the Supreme Court. A
caveat has already been filed on our behalf there on Wednesday". The CPM
claimed many of its intended candidates were prevented from filing nominations
by the TMC.
The high court on Tuesday directed the SEC to accept the
nominations of those candidates named by CPM who filed their papers
electronically within the stipulated time before 3 pm on 23 April. Passing the
order, the court observed that the poll process itself involved participation
and to shut out an intending bona fide candidate from participating thwarted
the very basic democratic principles on which it stood.
With inputs from PTI
Updated
Date: May 10, 2018 15:31 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment