The Calcutta High Court has postponed the hearing on the election petition filed by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which challenges the electoral outcome of the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, by a period of six weeks. In the recent assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee faced a defeat at the hands of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. In the intense electoral contest from the Bhabanipur seat, Suvendu Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 15,105 votes. Following this electoral setback, Mamata Banerjee approached the Calcutta High Court by filing an election petition, alleging that she maintained a continuous lead during the initial 12 rounds of counting before the trends abruptly shifted.
In her formal petition, Mamata Banerjee has claimed that severe irregularities took place during the vote-counting process, which ultimately impacted the final election result. She has urged the court to conduct a thorough judicial inquiry into the entire matter and review the legitimacy of the results. The case came up for hearing before the single bench of Justice Gourang Kanth on Tuesday. During the proceedings, senior advocate Joydeep Kar, representing Suvendu Adhikari, requested the court to grant four weeks of time to formally submit a written response.
Kalyan Banerjee Objects to the Delay
Strongly opposing this request, senior advocate and Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Kalyan Banerjee, appearing on behalf of Mamata Banerjee, raised serious objections. He argued before the bench that it has become an unhealthy tradition for election petitions to take years before reaching a final settlement. Kalyan Banerjee urged the court to set a precedent in this specific case so that election petitions are handled and disposed of in a strictly time-bound manner.
Voting Machines and Election Records Remain Secure
In response, the counsel representing Suvendu Adhikari submitted that, in compliance with the court's earlier directions, Electronic Voting Machines and all other election-related documents have been securely preserved. They argued that any slight delay in the proceedings would not compromise or affect the integrity of the evidence. After listening to the arguments from both sides, Justice Gourang Kanth directed all parties to mutually exchange copies of necessary documents within the next four weeks. Additionally, the court ordered them to file formal affidavits in this regard.
Registrar General Instructed to Oversee Document Exchange
The court further instructed the Registrar General of the High Court to ensure that all concerned parties receive their requisite documents within the stipulated timeframe. Following these directions, the court has scheduled the next hearing on the election petition after six weeks. During the upcoming session, the court will verify whether both sides have successfully completed the exchange of documents and the filing of affidavits.
