Calcutta HC single bench extends stay on rural poll process

A single bench of the Calcutta High Court today extended a stay on the panchayat election process in West Bengal till the next date of hearing as an appeal on the maintainability of a petition by the BJP is pending before a division bench.

Justice Subrata Talukdar directed that he will take up the matter tomorrow at 2 PM after going through today's order of the appeal bench.

The State Election Commission and the Trinamool Congress had moved the division bench comprising justices D Somadder and A Mukherjee challenging the single bench order which had accepted the maintainability of the petition at this stage.

Justice Talukdar had stayed the election process for the three-tier panchayat elections on April 12 and had directed the SEC to submit a comprehensive report including filing of nomination and rejection of nomination.

SEC secretary Nilanjan Shandilya, who appeared in person before the court in view of an ongoing ceasework by lawyers, submitted the report today.