A PIL petition has been moved before the Calcutta High Court seeking Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or some other Central Agency probe into the incident of the alleged attack and manhandling of the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram while she was in a rally for filing nomination.
The Petition has been moved by three lawyers Shubham Awasthi, Akash Sharma, and Sapta Rishi Mishra through Advocates Bibek Narayan Sharma & Debanjan Mukherjee. Union of India, State of West Bengal, the Election Commission of India, and the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) have been impleaded as respondent parties.
The petitioners had filed a similar plea before the Supreme Court seeking issuance of guidelines and directions for investigation of future similar incidents which affect the Electoral machinery, to uphold the basic tenet of free, fair, and transparent elections in the Country. However, the Apex Court declined to entertain this plea filed seeking directions to CBI to investigate the incident injuring West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. A three-judge Bench led by CJI had granted the petitioners liberty to withdraw the plea and approach the Calcutta High Court.
The plea states that such an attack on a Constitutional Functionary violates the idea of a free and fair election and has given free rein to Political Parties to influence voters and that since the alleged attack, the atmosphere in West Bengal had become one filled with allegations and counter-allegations by different political parties.
The plea also states that poll violence is anathema to the idea of free and fair elections and need to be investigated in order to nip them in the bud, and achieve the goals which guide the functioning of a democracy. According to the petitioners, if the investigation is not allowed it would create difficulties as any constitutional functionary could allege an attack to garner such sympathy which might result in them gaining votes.
(Input from LiveLaw)
