HC asks state, SEC to file affidavits on civic elections

The Calcutta High Court today asked the state government and the State Election Commission to file affidavits on civic elections following a PIL which has challenged the manner in which dates for the poll was announced.
Hearing a PIL on whether the state administration or the EC has primacy in holding elections, a division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked both of them to file their responses in an affidavit by April 3.
After the petitioner files his reply on April 6, the matter will come up for hearing again on April 7.
Altogether 91 civic bodies in the state are scheduled to go to polls on April 25 while the Calcutta Municipal Corporation polls would be held on April 18.

During the hearing, Jayanta Mitra, Advocate General for West Bengal, told the court that the election process had begun and that it cannot be stopped now.
The PIL has challenged the manner in which the dates for civic polls have been announced this year when a case on whether the state administration or the Election Commission has primacy in holding elections, is pending since July 2013.