NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to postpone municipal elections in Tripura on account of political violence, saying it was an extreme recourse to do in a democracy. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Vikram Nath, however, took serious note of the political violence just before the municipal polls in the state, and issued a slew of directions to the state.
“Postponing elections is a matter of last and extreme recourse. We consider that instead of postponing elections, the apprehensions can be redressed by issuing pre-emptory directions to Tripura to ensure that remaining phases of municipal elections take place in fair manner,” the judges said.
The top court said the law enforcement agencies must discharge their duties even handed and in nonpartisan manner to obviate the grievance which was raised by the TMC. The Mamata Banerjee-led party had filed a contempt petition alleging that violence against its party workers is continuing in Tripura and false cases are being filed against them by the ruling BJP government.
The bench also asked the State to give details of security arrangements in place for polling and counting of votes. During the hearing, the Court asked the State of Tripura whether Central Armed Forces were deployed to deal with the situation.