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KOLKATA: The Bengal government on Thursday moved a division bench of Calcutta high court against a single bench order for a CBI inquiry into alleged tampering of nomination papers of two panchayat poll candidates by the returning officer in Howrah’s Uluberia I. A division bench led by Justice Arijit Banerjee is likely to hear the matter on Friday.
Justice Amrita Sinha had on Wednesday ordered the CBI to look into the “serious allegation”, ascertain the facts and submit a report to the court on July 7.
The state election commission (SEC) pleaded with the court to direct a probe by a state agency, but Justice Sinha observed: “Since the allegation has been brought against the returning officer, who is in service with the state, the work of ascertaining facts should be done by an independent agency.”
Sabyasachi Chatterjee, the counsel for the petitioners, had submitted that the two candidates, despite getting an acknowledgement slip naming them under the OBC A category, found that the files with the returning officer had a “tick mark” on the SC (women) category.
Hearing another plea related to panchayat polls on Thursday, Justice Amrita Sinha asked SEC counsel Sonal Sinha: “Will you please tell me whether the election is on, and the state election commissioner is still there? There was a report saying that the governor hasn’t accepted his joining report.”
The SEC counsel said the elections had not been stalled and that such reports were speculations.
The matter came up during the hearing of a batch of petitions in the court, challenging the certificate of uncontested win issued to candidates in 82 gram panchayat seats of Bhangar II in South 24 Parganas district on June 20. The petitioners alleged that their names had disappeared from the list of eligible candidates.
The Calcutta high court observed that in a democratic country, candidates had the right to contest polls.
Justice Amrita Sinha had on Wednesday ordered the CBI to look into the “serious allegation”, ascertain the facts and submit a report to the court on July 7.
The state election commission (SEC) pleaded with the court to direct a probe by a state agency, but Justice Sinha observed: “Since the allegation has been brought against the returning officer, who is in service with the state, the work of ascertaining facts should be done by an independent agency.”
Sabyasachi Chatterjee, the counsel for the petitioners, had submitted that the two candidates, despite getting an acknowledgement slip naming them under the OBC A category, found that the files with the returning officer had a “tick mark” on the SC (women) category.
Hearing another plea related to panchayat polls on Thursday, Justice Amrita Sinha asked SEC counsel Sonal Sinha: “Will you please tell me whether the election is on, and the state election commissioner is still there? There was a report saying that the governor hasn’t accepted his joining report.”
The SEC counsel said the elections had not been stalled and that such reports were speculations.
The matter came up during the hearing of a batch of petitions in the court, challenging the certificate of uncontested win issued to candidates in 82 gram panchayat seats of Bhangar II in South 24 Parganas district on June 20. The petitioners alleged that their names had disappeared from the list of eligible candidates.
The Calcutta high court observed that in a democratic country, candidates had the right to contest polls.
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