Trinamool Congress Party goes to Pinnacle Court claiming breach of court orders for free and fair Tripura municipal polls

The Trinamool Congress approached the top court today requesting a probe by a court-monitored panel into the alleged large-scale violence during the municipal polls in Tripura.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who sought urgent listing of two applications filed by the party, that despite the court's order of Thursday for providing unhindered access to the media to the election process, nothing was done.

The Supreme Court bench said that in its “considerate view”, the apprehensions expressed by the petitioners can be redressed by issuing directions to Tripura to ensure that the remaining phases of municipal elections take place in a “safe and secure manner”.

The bench said that reports of law and order have been drawn to the attention of enforcement agencies, which will have to ensure that these are dealt with in accordance with the law.

“Postponing elections is an extreme thing to order in a democracy and we are averse to it. If we do it then it will set a wrong precedent,” observed the bench.

The bench said the court is sitting in a different combination of judges on Friday. "Let's see what can be done," Justice Chandrachud said, adding that judges are busy with official functions on the occasion of Constitution Day.

Sibal said that despite tomorrow being Saturday, the court can take up the matter.

Justice Chandrachud said there is an official function on Saturday but he will talk to brother (Justice Bopanna) during lunch time and discuss what could be done.

A day before that, on Tuesday, though the Supreme Court had rejected the TMC’s request to postpone the civic body polls due to incidents of violence, it had told the police to submit within two days an action-taken report on the acts of violence in the BJP-ruled state.

The top court bench had asked the Tripura government then, "When is the counting, and what steps are you taking to ensure that nothing happens between today and the counting day?"

Voting took place in 644 booths in 13 civic bodies in Tripura.