HC asks government to submit ATR on holding of panchayat polls

The Calcutta High Court today directed the West Bengal government to submit an action taken report as per its earlier order on the holding of panchayat elections and asked the Centre to state its position on providing central forces on Monday.
The State Election Commission, which is embroiled in a legal tussle with the state government on the issues of primacy in conducting panchayat elections and deployment of central forces, told the division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi that the state was not providing it with the logistics it had asked for.
Appearing for the commission, counsel L C Bihani alleged that the state had provided only 3,800 personnel in the nomination stage, though it had asked for 32,000.

He also alleged that the state had not paid heed to its directive to remove the officer in-charge of Pingla police station in West Midnapore district.
The bench then directed the state government to file the report by Friday.
The court had in its earlier order in the ongoing legal battle between the two constitutional authorities upheld the supremacy of the SEC in the holding of panchayat elections in West Bengal. The three-phase rural polls are scheduled to begin on July 2.

The court had said that the SEC would decide on the requirement of forces for the polls and the state would make arrangements.

It said that it would be the state government's discretion as to from where it would bring forces, whether from other states or central forces.
The court today asked the Centre's counsel to come up with its position on providing central forces for the polls.
Advocate S S Sarkar submitted that he had only been given notice yesterday and was not aware of the details. He prayed for a direction to the state to provide details of communications and requirements for central forces and prayed for two days' time to decide on the Centre's position on the issue.
The court then directed the Centre to state its position on Monday, when the matter would be heard again.