Supreme Court Refuses To Entertain Plea To Deploy Central Forces To Curb Post-Poll Violence In West Bengal

On the counting day of the West Bengal assembly elections, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea to deploy central forces to prevent post-poll violence in West Bengal, asking the party to approach the Calcutta High Court.

Senior Advocate V Giri, representing an organisation named 'Sanatan Sanstha', mentioned the matter before the bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. Giri highlighted that after the 2021 assembly elections, there were widespread acts of violence, and he sought measures to prevent such violence after the declaration of the present assembly elections, the counting of which is underway.

"Last time there was widespread post-poll violence, we have sought a direction that there could be some monitoring committee, preferably headed by a former Supreme Court judge to oversee that there is deployment of adequate force to prevent violence, " Giri said.

The bench stated that the petitioner should go to the High Court. Gir said that the Election Commission of India's role will cease after the declaration of the results. Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, for the ECI, also concurred with Giri's statement regarding the ECI's role. "Our rule ceases once the counting is done," Naidu said.

Giri said that there are high chances of violence, going by the last time's trend. However, the bench stated the petitioner should approach the High Court. Giri then pointed out that the writ petition was filed by the petitioner seeking during the SIR time, seeking protection for the officers involved in the SIR duty, and the present plea has been raised through an interlocutory application.

The bench stuck to its stand that the petitioner should approach the High Court for the relief sought.

"The political executive of the State will decide," Justice Bagchi said. "We expect that they will understand that law and order is their subject," CJI Kant said.

The bench, noting that the main writ petition filed by the organisation is listed on May 11, said that it will take up the matter on the scheduled date.