West Bengal SIR: Top court seeks ECI response on plea for CAPF deployment

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Election Commission of India's (ECI) reply on a petition seeking the deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in West Bengal during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

- PARMOD KUMAR

A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notice after the ECI submitted that maintaining order during the SIR becomes difficult unless the Commission is permitted to place the local police under its control.

"We cannot allow the law to be taken into someone's hands," CJI Kant observed, emphasising that the ECI has to act if there is a law-and-order situation, "otherwise there will be anarchy."

Initially the court was sceptical about the petition filed by Sanatani Sangsad, which referred to previous incidents of political violence in the State. The Bench, however, expressed initial reservations about the plea.

"All the politicians, etc. are coming here because they think this platform is highlighting them... tag this with the pending plea," CJI Kant remarked.