SOUMENDU ADHIKARI Vs. STATE OF WEST BENGAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Counsel for the parties have been heard on interim prayer for forensic audit of CCTV footage of Contai Municipal election.

(2.) This writ petition relates to the allegations of malpractices such as booth capturing, forged voting, violence etc. during the Contai municipal elections held on 27/2/2022. The prayer in the petition is to hold fresh polls to the Contai Municipality by deployment of central paramilitary forces.

(3.) Earlier orders were passed by this Court and directions were issued for holding the polling in free, fair and fearless manner because since beginning petitioner was apprehending various malpractices and violence during election. By earlier order dtd. 23/2/2022 in WPA(P) 271 of 2021 in the case of Mousumi Roy vs. West Bengal State Election Commission and Others, this Court instead of accepting the prayer for deployment of paramilitary forces, had issued several directions to ensure holding of fair election in the Municipalities, including the direction to the State Election Commission to install CCTV cameras at conspicuous spot in all main and ancillary booths across the State and to preserve the footage. After the election, a serious issue has been raised that in spite of direction of this Court and even after holding the State Election Commission personally responsible, no free and fair elections have been held in the State specially in Contai Municipality.