Opinion Mamata vs the courts
In the past couple of days the Calcutta High Court has made it clear that the West Bengal government has a constitutional obligation to hold the panchayat polls on time
In the past couple of days the Calcutta High Court has made it clear that the West Bengal government has a constitutional obligation to hold the panchayat polls on time. As expected,the division bench of Chief Justice Arun Misra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi finally set July 15 as the deadline for completion of the panchayat poll process,ironing out all differences.
Election to the grassroots bodies in West Bengal,whose terms expire on June 10,was unfortunately held up because of a protracted battle between the state election commission (SEC) and the state government. The judicial intervention came as a welcome relief even as it highlighted the need and urgency to uphold democratic institutions like the panchayati raj system without any delay.
In the state governments bid to dictate terms to the SEC was lost the greater goal of ensuring a political structure and environment that should have brought out the best in democratic traditions.
The verdict joins the long chronicle of judicial setbacks for the Trinamool Congress government. In two years,it has swallowed a fair amount of insults for its rather injudicious and whimsical moves. It began with the new governments Singur land acquisition legislation being struck down as unconstitutional. The matter has moved to the apex court,leaving Singur farmers in an agonising wait for a permanent settlement.
On Monday,the Calcutta High Court again came down heavily on the state for the failure to have a fair investigation into the custodial death of one Kazi Nasiruddin ironically,a Trinamool Congress worker,who allegedly fell victim to the partys internecine feuds. The High Court ordered a CBI inquiry. This came soon after reports from a social welfare home in Hooghly district of inmates being tortured to death and their bodies buried,where too the court ordered a CBI inquiry after the CID failed to give a fair investigation.
The ruling regime must now be waiting with bated breath to see if the High Court orders a CBI inquiry into the Saradha Group triggered financial scam rocking the state.
There are more in this list. In fact,major faux pas on the judicial front recently forced Didi to have her legal team changed,bringing in a new advocate general,Bimal Chatterjee. Simultaneously,there has been a major reshuffle of the governments legal wings at important courts and justice departments.
Subrata is the Editor,Kolkata
subrata.nagchoudhury@expressindia.com
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