West Bengal: Calcutta HC Forms Five-Judge Bench To Hear PIL On Post-Poll Violence, Asks Mamata Govt To File Report

Taking cognisance of the post-poll violence which erupted in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court has instituted a five-judge bench to hear a PIL on the matter and also asked Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee led state government to file a report, reports Times of India.

The court has asked the state government to file a report specifying the areas where violence has taken place and the steps taken to prevent or control it. The matter will be heard by the court now on Monday (10 May).

It should be noted that the state's Advocate-General Kishore Dutta had opposed the petition by asserting that a new government had taken charge of the state barely two days ago and that it had already taken several steps to stem the violence.

State's Additional Solicitor-General Y J Dastoor also tried to oppose the petition claiming that it was not maintainable and disputing the allegations of instigation of communal riots.

The state government blamed the violence on the Election Commission by claiming that the constitutional body took up "ill-considered" transfers of senior police officers and replaced them with "incompetent officers".