Calcutta High Court directs rural polls by July 15

The uncertainty over the rural polls in West Bengal seemed to have ended on Tuesday with a division bench of the Calcutta High Court ruling that they be held in three phases “in June and July 2013 and in any event before July 15.” A division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the government to issue a notification in consultation with the State Election Commission on the poll schedule within three days. The State government had approached the division bench seeking a stay on a single bench order in favour of the State Election Commission last week.