Calcutta HC Directs State To Ensure Law & Order In Post-Poll Violence Affected Areas, Asks Centre To Take Steps Including Deploying Armed Forces If Needed

The Calcutta High Court has directed the state government to ensure that law and order is restored to areas which were affected in violence which erupted in the aftermath of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. 

A division bench of Justices Harish Tandon and Hiranmay Bhattacharya had earlier directed for the State to ensure that those displaced in the violence were provided safe passage back to their native places.

On this occasion, the Court stated that it was the duty of the state to ensure that law and order were restored to violence-affected areas and that in case the state failed to do so, the central government would be at liberty to take all steps for the same in including deployment of armed forces.

Earlier, Advocate General Kishore Dutta had informed the court that the State was looking into the complaints filed and that a large number of duplicate complaints were also received, while many others were incomplete.

He also with the submissions of the petitioners that the State police were unable to handle the incoming complaints.

Public interest litigant Advocate Priyanka Tibrewal had submitted an affidavit before the court containing a list of those people who were displaced in the violence and prayed that they be safely taken back to their homes.

ASG for the central government had submitted that the deployment of central forces could be extended based on the court's directions, however, the Court directed that the central government could take any decision for further deployment of central forces based on the law and order situation.