WB: HC directs State Election Commission to hold meeting over deployment of CAPF during civic polls

The Calcutta High Court directed State Election Commission to hold a meeting with Chief Secretary and DGP about the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces during the municipal elections.

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court directed State Election Commission to hold a meeting with state officials, including Chief Secretary and DGP, to assess the ground situation and decide whether the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is required during the municipal elections in the state.

The decision must be made within the next 12 hours, the court said. The Calcutta High Court bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj has reserved its order in a plea seeking deployment of central paramilitary forces in the upcoming municipal elections. "It is the responsibility of the Commission to conduct a peaceful vote. The Commission will have to take a decision after checking the law and order situation," the Court said.

The Court directed "the Commission to hold a meeting with the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) if the Central forces are to be deployed." At the same time, the division bench of the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court asked the commission to decide whether the results of the remaining 108 constituencies will be declared together with the results of the four municipal elections.

The elections of four Municipal Corporations, namely Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Chandernagore Municipal Corporation, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and Asansol Municipal Corporation, were earlier slated to be held on January 22, 2022, according to an order by the State Election Commission. However, the High Court has postponed the elections for 4-6 weeks, citing that the third wave of COVID-19 has hit the state and that the life of the residents of the state will be put to threat if the elections are held.

(ANI)