Kolkata: The Calcutta high court on Wednesday rejected the CPI(M)’s plea for allowing the candidates to file nominations by sending emails to the West Bengal state election commission (WBSEC) for the panchayat elections.
The CPI(M) is now planning to move the division bench against the single bench’s order.
Inspired by justice Subrata Talukdar’s order to WBSEC to accept the nominations of a group of candidates at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas through WhatsApp on Tuesday, the CPI(M) appealed before the same judge that the nominations sent by mails to the WBSEC should be accepted.
CPI(M) leader and party lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya filed the case referring to anarchy on the extended day of filing nominations in the state. He wondered when nominations sent through WhatsApp could be accepted, why the same can not be followed if they are sent through emails.The judge however refused to interfere in the petition.
Later Trinamul Congress MP and party lawyer Kalyan Banerjee said, “The high court termed the CPI(M)’s petition seeking setting aside of the notification on March 31, stalling of the poll process and nominations filing by filing as ‘not entertainable.’ It has not entertained their writ petition and disposed it of.”
He added, “There is no scope of filing nominations online according to the West Bengal Panchayat Act. The high court also expressed its anguish over the political parties’ attempt to file cases one after another on the same issue and making the state poll panel’s officers wait.”
Countering Mr Banerjee’s version CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb who was present at the court said, “Where will we seek justice? We have to knock the doors of the court because the state poll panel is not paying heed to us. There is an alternative which we however cannot undertake. That is not permissible in the Constitution or in democracy.”
He argued, “That is why we are coming to the court repeatedly. There will be a great danger if it is said on behalf of the court that it cannot do anything. The judge said he would not interfere in our plea for online nominations.”
The CPI(M) also filed a contempt of court petition against the Mamata Banerjee government and the state poll panel forfailing to ensure peace during the filing of nominations.
