KOLKATA: Arguments in the high-profile Bengal panchayat election nomination extension case ended on Thursday with the Calcutta High Court reserving its judgment at 4.30 pm on Friday. The stay on election
procedures was extended by one more day on Thursday.
Justice Subrata Talukdar heard the arguments of CPM lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and of State Election Commission secretary Nilanjan Sandilya, BJP petitioner Pratap Banerjee and West Bengal
government representative Sourav Das on Thursday.
SEC secretary Sandilya sought withdrawal of the stay on election process stating that it won’t be able to conduct elections after the onset of holy Islamic month of Ramzan. The commission maintained
that court can’t intervene in election process once it has already started.
When asked by Justice Talukdar about steps taken by the SEC to address the grievances of the Opposition won the regard to filing of nomination, Sandilya stated that the complaints have been forwarded to
the Sub-Divisional Offices and they have been asked to take strict steps to address the grievances.
On the other hand, Justice Talukdar admonished state government representative Sourav Das stating that the administration should not have acted as advisor by sending a letter to the SEC. To this, Das stated the state government was concerned because development projects were stalled due to the stay on the election and pled for uplifting the stay.
Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya questioned the intention of the SEC whereas BJP petitioner Pratap Banerjee pled that nomination filing be allowed in Kolkata so that the nominees felt safe than in the rural hinterlands where they had come under attack of the ruling party cadres.