To ensure that panchayat election in West Bengal is held in time, Calcutta High Court today allotted fixed timings to West Bengal government and the State Election Commission, who are contesting a legal battle over holding of the polls, for submissions.
Hearing pleas for expeditious hearing of the case for holding the elections in time by both the parties, Justice Biswanath Somadder directed that the government and the commission would get six hours each to complete their submissions.
Justice Somadder also directed the state government to file affidavit in support of its claims within Friday and the SEC to file its affidavit in reply by Tuesday next.
The tenure of the present elected panchayats would end in the first week of June.
The court declined to allow BJP and Left parties to be party in the matter at this juncture as it is being contested between two constitutional bodies and kept their applications in abeyance.
The SEC had moved the HC challenging the state government's decision to hold elections on April 26 and April 30 claiming that the section 42 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, vide which the announcement had been made, was ultra vires of the Constitution.
Even as the hearing in the SEC's petition was on, the state informed the court that it had decided on new dates for the panchayat election on May five and May eight.
