HC stay on rural polls extended again

The fate of panchayat elections continued to remain under cloud even as Calcutta High Court hearing a petition filed by the BJP and the CPI(M) on Tuesday stayed the poll process for another day.

Questioning Trinamool Congress MP and senior counsel Kalyan Banerjee’s contention that once the election process had already started it was beyond judicial scrutiny Justice S Taluqdar said had things be so then the Supreme Court would not have sent the matter to the High Court for hearing.

The Court was hearing a petition from the Opposition parties challenging State Election Commission’s back-to-back circulars first extending the deadline of filing nomination for a day on April 9 before withdrawing the same circular within a matter of hours on April 10 purportedly under the influence of some powerful State Ministers who had on the said date descended at the SEC’s door.

The poll dates were earlier fixed for May 1, 3 and 5. With the matter reaching the judicial precincts it was unlikely that the elections could be held on designated dates, experts said.

The case would be taken up for further hearing on Wednesday, the Judge said.