Today The SC agreed to list the plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order regarding the deployment of Central Forces in the state in the wake of violence ahead of the Panchayat Elections of West Bengal. The plea will be heard by the bench of Justice Surya Kant and MM Sundresh tomorrow.
Background
Panchayat Elections are a crucial component of India’s democracy, empowering local self-governance at the grassroots level. These elections help in shaping the development trajectory of rural people.
Image Source: Hindustan Times
In West Bengal, several Incidents of violence were reported after the opening of the nomination form on June 9 in which seven people including the Trinamool Congress candidate and BJP worker Sambhu Das were killed. In response to this Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of Central Paramilitary Forces in seven sensitive districts and other areas witnessing serious law and order problems to ensure free and fair elections in the state on July 8. In the last Panchayat Elections also there was large-scale violence in which around 20 people lost their lives and several got injured.
Petition by West Bengal State Election Commission
After the Calcutta High Court‘s order on the deployment of central forces, the West Bengal government and State Commission filed a plea in the Supreme Court, seeking a review of the decision of the Calcutta High Court which will be heard tomorrow.
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamta Banerjee’s government said that there was an involvement of politics in the High Court order as it had been based on a “politically motivated petition” filed by the opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari of BJP. Mamta Banerjee also opposed the decision of the Calcutta High Court by quoting an example of Manipur where there was the deployment of central forces but then also violence has still not ended there. The Trinamool Congress leader said the party was not bothered whether Central forces were deployed in the State or not.
Opposition’s Stand
The opposition has a different stand on the plea filed by WBSEC as they criticized the petition filed by WBSEC against the High Court. The opposition argued that what’s the problem of the existing government over the High Court decision as they don’t need to spend even a penny on the deployment forces as all the expenses of deployment forces will be borne by the central government. The opposition said that if there will be the deployment of central forces, then there will be free and fair elections in the state which is a must for a democratic country.Â
Importance of Central Forces
The deployment of central forces during the elections will serve multiple purposes. Firstly, it helps to instil confidence among the voters by providing a visible security presence, thereby enabling their democratic rights without any fear.
Secondly, central forces play a major role in preventing and managing the violence that could take place during the electoral process. Their presence act as a deterrent to those who will try to manipulate the result through coercion or force. Central forces are well trained in handling such law and order situations and at the same time, their neutral and non-partisan nature helps ensure an impartial and level playing field for all the candidates irrespective of their political affiliations.
The decision of the Supreme Court to list the plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order shows the significance of this issue. While it is essential to balance the need for security in the elections, the role of central forces cannot be undermined in maintaining law and order in the state.
