Calcutta High Court on Monday held that central force deployed in Bengal for the recent rural polls would stay in the state for 10 more days.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam took the decision after advocate general S.N. Mukherjee informed the high court that on the basis of an order by the bench on Friday, the state government had approached the Centre for the extended stay of the central forces.

"The central government has agreed to keep the central force in the state for 10 more days," Mukherjee told the court.

It was initially decided that the central forces, which were deployed in the state to assist police in making the panchayat polls free and fair and to avert violence following the publication of results, would stay in Bengal till July 13 after the end of the counting process.

But reports of post-poll violence prompted the division bench to order the continued deployment of the central forces in the state till July 23. Last Friday, BJP counsel advocate Priyanka Tibrewal approached the court, saying the post-poll incidents of violence and killings were continuing in the state.

She argued that given the violent situation on the ground, the central forces should be kept for a few more days.

Following that prayer, the Chief Justice asked the advocate general to ask the state government to approach the Union home ministry and know whether the paramilitary personnel could be kept in the state at least till August 2.

"The process for sending back the forces to their respective states had started, but after Monday's court order the process has been stopped," a lawyer for the central government said after the order.

The division bench in its Monday order stated that the state police would identify the disturbed areas and decide on the quantum of forces to be sent to those areas. Suvendu plea

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Monday moved the division bench of Calcutta High Court headed by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice H. Bhattacharya seeking legal action against Trinamul Congress MP and party's all India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for his alleged comment instigating party men to gherao the residences of BJP leaders.

Adhikari's counsel Srijib Chakrabarty demanded an immediate hearing of the petition. The bench rejected the demand for an immediate hearing and there is a likelihood that it would be heard on Tuesday.