Amidst incidents of electoral violence continuing in West Bengal, almost ten days after the last elections, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court on the issue of post-poll violence.
A Division Bench presided by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and comprising Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya said the court would take up the petition for hearing on Wednesday.
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Last week, a single judge Bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda expressed concern over post-poll violence and issued a directive allowing affected people to submit complaints by email to the State’s Director General of Police (DGP). The court had also directed the DGP to file a report in 10 days as to the number of complaints received and the steps taken thereon.
Supporters of the BJP and, at certain places, Left parties have been at the receiving end of violence.
Meanwhile, a Trinamool Congress worker was shot dead at Hariharpara in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. Family members of the deceased, Sanatan Ghosh, claimed that the killing was related to a land-related tussle with some persons in the locality.
Another Trinamool leader was attacked at Deganga under Barasat Lok Sabha during a victory march of the party. Four supporters of the Indian Secular Front were arrested in connection with the violence.
In another related development, the Calcutta High Court issued directions to police not to arrest actor-politician Hiranmay Chattopadhyay without its prior permission in connection with a case related to alleged tampering of his opponent candidate, Dipak Adhikari alias Dev. The alleged development occurred in the run-up to the Ghatal Lok Sabha polls where Mr. Chattopadhyay, the BJP nominee, lost to Mr. Dev of Trinamool by a margin of about 1.82 lakh votes.
The court, however, granted permission to police to continue their investigation in the case filed at Ghatal police station in Paschim Medinipur district on May 18. Before this, BJP Lok Sabha candidates Rekha Patra and Pranat Tudu had got a reprieve from the Calcutta High Court in connection with an FIR drawn by West Bengal police.
Published - June 10, 2024 09:41 pm IST
