Suvendu Adhikari will have to remain in his own constituency on polling day: Calcutta HC

Kolkata, July 7 The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to remain in his Nandigram Assembly constituency on Saturday when voting will take place for the panchayat polls in West Bengal.

The directive was issued by the single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha.

On Thursday evening, a communique was forwarded by the inspector-in-charge of the Contai police station, Amalendu Biswas directing Adhikari to remain constrained in the area under “Part No.76, Nandanayakbar of Nandigram constituency” in East Midnapore district, where the latter is both a voter and an elected legislator.

He has also been barred from entering his polling booth even after being accompanied by security personnel that he is entitled for as the Leader of the Opposition.

On Friday morning, Adhikari approached Justice Sinha’s bench for quashing the gag order, the hearing for which took place in the afternoon.

In his argument, Adhikari’s counsel Soumya Majumdar said that the notice from the Cotai police station was irrational since as the Leader of the Opposition, he will have a lot of responsibilities throughout the state with regards to the elections.

"He might have to take the responsibility of shifting his party workers injured in poll-related violence to hospitals for treatment,” Majumdar argued.

In his counter argument, the West Bengal State Election Commission’s (WBSEC) counsel Jishnu Saha argued that the order was applicable for political leaders and elected representatives and was not exclusive for the Leader of the Opposition.

He also pointed out that even the Election Commission of India follows the same theory in case of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Justice Sinha questioned why the communique was issued from the Cotai police station.

The WBSEC counsel then informed that since Adhikari’s residence is under the said police station, its authorities have issued the communique.