A division bench comprising Justice K J Sengupta and Justice Asim Mondal set aside an earlier order by a single bench that had asked the state election commission to conduct college elections following a petition over alleged violence at different colleges in the state.
The chief electoral officer of the commission had moved the division bench challenging the order, submitting that it was not equipped to conduct such polls.
The division bench had earlier stayed this direction of the single bench.
The single bench of the High Court had in March ordered that all student body elections in colleges in the state be held under the supervision of the chief electoral officer.
The court had also allowed the CEO to seek assistance of the state Director General of Police for conducting the elections in a peaceful and fair manner.
The elections be held thus till the seven member panel appointed by the state government drafted the guidelines for student elections, it had said.
The division bench also directed today that the Jhargram SDO would act as a special officer to conduct the college body election to Jhargram Raj College in West Midnapore district.
Its principal would fix the date of polls in consultation with the vice-chancellor of Vidyasagar University, the court directed.
The District Superintendent of Police was ordered to ensure a peaceful election.
