Kolkata, April 24: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday disposed off the petitions filed by BJP, Congress and PDS complaining about the West Bengal Panchayat poll nomination process but asked the State Election Commission to discuss the issue of security arrangements during the election with all the important stakeholders.
A single bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar disposed off the Bharatiya Janata Party's appeal to further extend the nomination process over the alleged violence by the state's ruling Trinamool Congress on the extended day for filing of nomination papers on Monday and said the court would not interfere in the election process.
He also disposed off the Congress' petition that claimed the notification issued by the SEC for filling of fresh nomination was incomplete and faulty.
The judge however asked the SEC to consult not just the state government but all important stakeholders including the opposition parties regarding the security arrangements during the coming rural polls and submit a detailed report regarding the arrangement before the High Court's Division Bench.
However, he left it to SEC's discretion to take the final call about the possible security measures to ensure free and fair election process.
The court also instructed the SEC to accept the nominations of nine prospective candidates of Jami, Jibika, Paribesh O Bastutantra Raksha Committee (Committee to Save Land, Livelihood, Environment and Ecosystem) in South 24 Parganas district's Bhangar, which were submitted to the retuning officers through Whatsapp.
The nine members of the local body that has been spearheading the land agitation in the region were allegedly stopped from filing nominations by the state ruling party. Justice Talukdar pointed out that their nomination cannot be rejected by SEC on technical grounds.
SEC said, according to the High Court's previous order, it had already discussed the provisions of extended nomination day with all the state political parties and fixed the day for filing fresh nominations and clarified that it does not intend to hold any further discussions with the parties regarding the polling dates.
It also said it was addressing the security concerns raised by opposition parties as and when the complaints come.
Trinamool counsel Kalyan Banerjee noted that consultation with all political parties regarding the polling dates was not a feasible option as someone or the other might have objections on any date fixed by the SEC. He also pointed out that primacy about the election process rests completely with the SEC.
The state opposition parties on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court accusing the Trinamool of unleashing unprecedented terror on their party activists on the extended nomination day for the rural polls on Monday.
The Calcutta High Court had on Friday ordered the SEC to make a fresh announcement extending the deadline for filing of nominations for the coming panchayat polls and finalise a new election schedule.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bhopal gas tragedy: Effects of leak seen in next generation of survivors, says ex-forensic doctor
Bhopal (PTI): The effects of poisonous gases that leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal 40 years ago were seen in the next generations of those who survived the tragedy, a former government forensic doctor has said.
At least 3,787 people were killed, and more than five lakh were affected after a toxic gas leaked from the pesticide factory in the city on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.
Speaking at an event held by organisations of gas tragedy survivors on Saturday, Dr D K Satpathy, former head of the forensics department of Bhopal's Gandhi Medical College, said he performed 875 post-mortems on the first day of the disaster and witnessed 18,000 autopsies the next five years.
Sathpathy claimed Union Carbide had denied questions about the effects of poisonous gases on unborn children of women survivors and said effects would not cross the placental barrier in the womb in any condition.
He said blood samples of pregnant women who died in the tragedy were examined, and it was found that 50 per cent of poisonous substances found in the mother were also found in the child in her womb.
Children born to surviving mothers had the poisonous substances in their system, and this affected the health of the next generation, Sathpathy claimed and questioned why research on this was stopped.
Such effects will continue for generations, he said.
Satpathy said it was said that MIC gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant, and when it came in contact with water, thousands of gases were formed, and some of these caused cancer, blood pressure and liver damage.
Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action said Satpathy, who carried out most autopsies, and other first responders in the 1984 disaster, including the senior doctors in the emergency ward and persons involved in mass burials, narrated their experiences during the event.
Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, a poster exhibition covering every aspect of the disaster will be held till December 4 to mark the 40th anniversary of the tragedy.
An anniversary rally will be organised, with focus on global corporate crimes such as industrial pollution and climate change, she said.
