SC refuses to delay Tripura civic polls

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 SUPREME COURT

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday refused the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) plea for postponing municipal elections in Tripura and said it is an “extreme recourse” and the last resort in a democracy, even as it passed a slew of directions to the state police to ensure free and fair elections.

The top court directed reassessment of deployment of paramilitary forces in critical areas and warned of coercive action if the directives are not followed scrupulously.

It also sought details of the first information reports (FIR) registered in view of violent incidents during campaigning and the arrests made in those case.

A bench of justices DY Chandrachud and Vikram Nath said, “Postponing election is a matter of last and extreme recourse. It is our considered view that short of postponing of elections, the apprehensions which have been expressed on behalf of the petitioners by the counsels can be suitably addressed by issuing peremptory directions to the State of Tripura, so as to ensure that the remaining phases of the Municipal elections take place in peaceful and orderly manner.”

The top court was hearing a plea of TMC seeking contempt action against the Tripura government and other officials for failing to curtail violent incidents against opposition parties in the run up to the upcoming polls to 13 municipal bodies.

While the voting for 334 seats of the urban local bodies would take place on Thursday, the ballots will be counted November 28.

The bench said the reports of breach of law and order, which have been brought to the notice