SC directs MHA to provide two additional CAPF companies in Tripura to ensure free, fair civic body polls

The Supreme Court directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide two additional CRPF companies to ensure free and fair civic body elections. The Centre and Tripura government has been directed to ensure all arrangments for the safety of ballots and counting of votes.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Union Home Ministry to provide an additional two companies of Central Armed Police Forces(CAPF) in Tripura at its discretion to ensure that polling there goes on without any disruption and elections are fair. It asked the DGP and Home Secretary to immediately review the requirement of paramilitary forces which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will consider as assured by SG Tushar Mehta.

The bench comprising of Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Vikram Nath was hearing Trinamool congress contempt petition that alleged that Tripura violated the Supreme Court order for ensuring free and fair elections. It directed to give full access to print and electronic media to ensure full reporting of the polls.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined the plea of All India Trinamool Congress(TMC) to postpone the Tripura local body elections scheduled on November 25 and directed the police to increase the security arrangements for conducting free and fair polls and the declaration of results.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankarnarayan appearing for TMC told the court today that the polling started around 7 and in the last 2.5 hours he has received multiple videos that show people from outside going and pressing the button. He said that there is complete terrorism on the booths and a party's candidate was not allowed to go and vote.

The state of Tripura told the court that a meeting was held, an additional two companies have been deployed from BSF and polling is going on peacefully. On candidate not being allowed to vote, Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani appearing for the state argued that complaint should have been made to the state election commission there and there is no point in coming directly to the top court. However, SC said that the aim should be to conduct free and fair elections and not prepare material for election petitions.

Court noted Tripura's submission in its order that said in addition to 78 sections, 15 additional sections have been deployed pursuant to the directions by DGP and secretary of home affairs of the state. 2 companies of BSF and 258 personnel of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) are deployed in the state. In 770 polling booths polling has taken place.

Meanwhile, elections for over 200 seats in municipal bodies of Tripura are currently underway. Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) had announced the election to 20 urban local bodies, including Agartala Municipal Corporation in all the eight districts in the state. A total of 770 polling stations have been established across the state for the civic polls.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 112 out of the total 334 seats uncontested in the Agartala Municipal Corporation and 19 urban local bodies earlier this month. Elections for the remaining 222 seats are being held and the counting of votes will take place on November 28. There are a total of 334 seats in the 20 urban local bodies that comprise six Nagar Panchayats, 13 Municipal Council, and one Municipal Corporation.

Tripura SEC ML Dey had said, "The poll date for civic bodies in the state is scheduled to be held on November 25 from 7 am to 4 pm. Counting will be held on November 28, which will commence from 8 am. The entire process of elections is slated to end on December 4". This will be the first civic polls that the BJP will contest after coming to power in Tripura in 2018.