Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking President Rule in the state of West Bengal, to be imposed by the Centre. A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari issued notice to the Centre, West Bengal and Election Commission of India on the plea.
The petitioners simultaneously sought setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for probing the causes and reasons of post-poll violence in West Bengal and demanded central and state governments to award compensation to the victims and their family members.
In Big Setback to CM Mamata Banerjee, Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Plea Seeking President Rule in #WestBengal Over Post Poll Volence, Deploy Central Forces in State
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) July 1, 2021
“We are issuing notice to respondent number 1, (Union of India), respondent number-2 (West Bengal government) and Respondent number 3 (Election Commission of India).” the bench said, whilst excluding respondent number 4 — Mamata Banerjee as the president of Trinamool Congress (TMC) from the notice.
The plea filed by Ranjana Agnihotri, a UP based practising lawyer and social worker Jitender Singh takes cognisance of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state where post-poll violence by ruling TMC has forced thousands of locals to become a refugee in their own state.
“The petitioners are espousing the cause of thousands of citizens of West Bengal who are mostly Hindus and are being targeted by Muslims to take revenge for supporting BJP as they want to crush Hindus so that for years to come the power may remain with the party of their choice,” the plea said.
The petitioners requested the court to allow the centre to evoke Article 355 and Article 356 and use its constitutional powers to initiate the President rule in the state.
As reported by TFI, Mamata Banerjee, during the election trail, had insinuated that BJP supporters will be pleading with folded hands, begging for their lives after she comes to power.
“I keep knowledge of every inch of the elections. After the election, the security personnel sent by the central government will go back, but if our government is formed then the BJP supporters will plead with folded hands for the central security forces to be stationed for a few more days so that they (BJP supporters) could be saved,” Mamata Banerjee had said.
While TMC reportedly continues to engage in a mass purge of BJP workers, the fact that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the petition of President’s rule is indeed a worthy development after two SC judges, within a week, recused themselves from hearing the cases pertaining to the Mamata Banerjee government.
