On Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court again upheld the interim stay on the publication of the Panchayat poll notification. This internal order was upheld in the case filed by Nandigram MLA Subhendu Adhikari. The next hearing of this case is on February 27. Acquaintances think – ‘On that day, the permission to publish the notification of Panchayat polls can be obtained’. Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has filed an affidavit in the Calcutta High Court regarding the rearrangement of backward seats.
However, as the internal order of the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court remains in place, no further action can be taken. State opposition leader Subhendu Adhikari filed a public interest case in the Calcutta High Court last December demanding the peaceful completion of the panchayat elections. Citing political violence, Subhendu demanded that panchayat polls be conducted by central forces and under the supervision of a retired judge.
In the hearing of that case, the division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj had previously ordered, – ‘The State Election Commission cannot publish the date of notification until the next hearing of the case’. On this day, the interim suspension was increased on the publication of that notification. The next hearing of this case is on February 27.
