BJP moves Calcutta high court Division Bench after single judge dismisses plea for CAPF during civic polls

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The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday moved the division bench of Calcutta high court Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava hours after the single bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha turned down the party’s plea seeking deployment of central armed police force during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election on December 19.

The petition said that it is seeking adequate security development in light of the targeted widespread post-poll violence that occurred in West Bengal in May. It said representations have been filed with authorities and the Governor, seeking deployment of additional forces to ensure a fair and transparent election.

The Single Bench of Justice Rajsekhar Mantha on Thursday rejected BJP's plea and ordered the Commissioner of Police to ensure that he forthwith attends to any further complaints lodged and takes appropriate measures to safeguard the right of citizens to exercise their franchise.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had declined to hear the plea stating,

 "We cannot take decisions with respect to the requirement of Central force. The High Court will be in a better position to know the situation."

The Division Bench will hear BJP's appeal today. 

Bharatiya Janata Party By Its General Secretary vs State of West Bengal