West Bengal Panchayat polls: SEC ordered to accept online nominations

As the legal battle around Panchayat election continues at Calcutta High Court, in an unprecedented order, a division bench of Justice Biswanath Somadder and Justice Arindam Mukherjee on Tuesday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to accept the nominations of all intending candidates who had filed them via email to either the Panchayat Returning Officers or the SEC by 3 pm on April 23, 2018.

The order was passed following a petition by CPI(M) asking for the acceptance of nominations filed electronically.

The court further directed that names of such candidates should be published in the list of contesting candidates in the forthcoming Panchayat elections at their respective constituencies.

The court had also observed that filing nominations through email prevented largescale violence, bloodshed and loss of lives. "Further, it eliminates hurling of accusations and counter-accusations and encourages peaceful and wider participation. Above all, it upholds the democratic principles which form a pivotal part in the Panchayat election process and is not to its derogation but on the contrary, furthers it," the court observed.