Deploy Central forces within 48 hrs in all dists: HC to SEC

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to requisition and deploy Central forces within 48 hours across all districts for the July 8 Panchayat elections in the state.

The court noted that no appreciable steps have been taken ever since an order was passed by it on June 13 for deployment in sensitive areas for the poll process.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Uday Kumar was hearing the matter. The Bench directed that on receipt of the requisition, the appropriate authority of the Central government will deploy the required number of Central forces. Reiterating its earlier judgment, the court stated that the cost will be borne by the Centre and no part of it will be charged to the state. Jayanta Mitra, a senior advocate appearing for the SEC assisted by Sonal Sinha, counsel for the SEC, had submitted the minutes of the meeting convened by the State Election Commission on June 9 with the state Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, West Bengal. They submitted that the necessary arrangements have been made to comply with the directions of the court and it may take a few days to identify the sensitive areas.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed that the SEC shall requisition the deployment of Central forces to work in tandem with the police force of West Bengal for the upcoming rural polls. The Division Bench had directed the SEC to send requisition of the deployment for the Central forces “at the first instance” for all districts, which according to the SEC are “sensitive”. Thereafter, it could review the assessment plan submitted by the state and wherever they found inadequacy of the state police force, in such areas paramilitary forces would be deployed.

However, the bench on Thursday observed that the SEC had not taken “any proactive and diligent steps” to implement the directions issued by the court in the earlier writ petition. “Therefore, we are of the view that we will be well justified to issue appropriate directions which to our mind is absolutely essential in order to ensure free and fair elections. We wish to emphasise that a direction in this regard is required to be issued bearing in mind the electorate, the people of West Bengal, who will exercise their franchise in the ensuing election,” the Bench stated. It further directed the State Election Commission to issue a circular that all officers who have been assigned for election duty shall display their identity cards prominently and whenever any of the observers or any authority calls upon to prove their identity, they should readily and immediately produce it.

“There is also allegation that civic volunteers have been given police uniform and they have been deployed for election duty. In the order dated 13.06.2023 deployment of Civic Volunteers for election duty has been specifically prohibited. Therefore, if any attempt is made by any authority to make the said order unworkable will be liable for action under the Contempt of Courts Act,” the court stated.

Reacting to the decision of the High Court, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the order for the deployment of Central forces is not something the party is at all worried about. He said despite the deployment in the 2021 Assembly elections, TMC won a landslide victory.