Calcutta High Court on Wednesday issued an order empowering the State Election Commission to decide whether paramilitary forces needed to be deployed for the polls to 108 municipalities on February 27.

The order was issued in response to a petition filed by Mousumi Roy demanding the deployment of central forces and CCTV surveillance during the polls.

A division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj directed the state election commissioner to collect information about conditions prevailing at each of the municipalities where elections are scheduled for Sunday.

The bench directed the commissioner to hold joint meeting with the home secretary and the director general and inspector general of police within 24 hours to examine the ground situation in each of the 108 municipal areas and “take a decision in writing in respect of deployment of paramilitary forces by mentioning the relevant circumstances in support of his decision to deploy/not to deploy the paramilitary forces”.

“If the Commissioner, State Election Commission, takes the decision not to deploy the paramilitary forces, then he will be personally liable to ensure no violence takes place and free, fair and fearless elections take place in the municipality where paramilitary forces are not deployed,” read the judgement.

The court directed the commission to appoint election observers, not below the rank of IAS officers, after consulting the chief secretary and the home secretary.

Acting upon a prayer by the BJP, the commission assured the court that EVMs, which would be sent to Contai municipality for the polls, would have paper seals.

The SEC has also been directed to install CCTV cameras at every polling booth.

Additionally, the bench has asked the commission to preserve CCTV footage and other articles to be used in the polls.

Bribe slur on BJP candidate

A BJP candidate contesting Englishbazar municipal polls has been accused of offering money to a voter during his campaign.

A video circulating on social media shows Krishna Mandal, the BJP candidate of ward 28, allegedly offering cash to an individual. But Mandal said he was merely helping a person in crisis.

Trinamul filed a complaint seeking cancellation of Mandal’s candidature.

SOUMYA DE SARKAR