Bengal CM urges CJI Kant to protect Constitution, judiciary, democracy
Jalpaiguri (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to protect the country’s Constitution, democracy and judiciary.
Banerjee, speaking at a programme to inaugurate a new building of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court, also called upon Justice Kant to protect the people of the country from being wrongly targeted by “agencies”.
“Please protect the Constitution, democracy, judiciary, history and geography, as well as the country’s borders, from disaster,” she said, without elaborating.
“You (the CJI) are the guardian of our Constitution. We are under your legal guardianship. Nobody is superior to you in the judiciary. On behalf of the people of the country, we request that there should be no bias on the basis of caste or religion. Let us work, speak and think for unity,” she said.
Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, urged the CJI to ensure that “media trials” of cases before their disposal are stopped completely.
“There is a growing trend of media trials before cases are disposed of. This must stop,” she asserted.
The chief minister also urged Justice Kant to take care of the new generation of lawyers, alleging that junior lawyers were struggling and not receiving their due benefits.
Banerjee said that although the central government had “stopped funding” for fast-track courts in West Bengal, her government had set up 88 such courts.
“We have already spent more than Rs 1,200 crore on courts. Please do not mind (referring to Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal among the attendees); though the Centre has stopped the funding, we are continuing the fast-track courts,” she said.
Of these, 52 courts are for women, seven are POCSO courts, four labour courts, and 19 are human rights courts, the CM said.
She also said that the new Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench building was “better than the Calcutta High Court (building)”.
Around 40.08 acres of prime land was allocated for construction of the building here, and the state government spent more than Rs 500 crore on it, she said.
“We have given 14 acres of prime land to the Calcutta High Court for a new building in Rajarhat in New Town,” Banerjee said, adding, the state government has set up six district judges’ courts and eight sub-divisional judges’ courts.
Justice Kant, Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Sujoy Paul, former Supreme Court judges, West Bengal Advocate General Kishore Datta, Meghwal, and state Law Minister Moloy Ghatak were among those present at the programme.
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Bengaluru civic body polls will be held after May 25 with ballot papers: State EC
Bengaluru (PTI): Elections to the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will be held after May 25 with ballot papers instead of EVMs, Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi said on Monday.
He also said that zilla and taluk Panchayat polls, which are expected later this year, will also be held using ballot papers.
"Elections will be held tentatively after May 25, after SSLC (class 10) and PUC (class 11 and 12) examinations are over, and before June 30," Sangreshi added.
The Supreme Court had last week asked the Karnataka government and the state election body to hold Bengaluru local body polls by June 30.
Speaking to reporters here, the Commissioner said, this time the GBA election will be held using ballot papers.
"There are two best practices to hold elections, ballot papers were being used since the beginning, but since 20-30 years ago EVMs are being used. Use of ballot papers is not barred by law or by the judgements of the Supreme Court," he said, defending the decision to use ballot papers.
The Congress government in Karnataka in September last year had decided to recommend to the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold all the future panchayat and urban local body polls in the state using ballot paper instead of Electronic Voting Machines, claiming there is erosion of confidence and credibility, among the people towards EVMs.
Noting that developed countries like America too use ballot papers, the state's chief election commissioner said, most elections like Gram Panchayat, Cooperative polls are held using ballot papers, except Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. "However, last time the Bengaluru corporation polls in 2015 were held using EVMs," he noted.
Responding to a question whether the decision to use ballot papers was under the government's pressure, he said the state election commission is an independent and constitutional body, and as law provides for elections to be held either using ballot papers or EVMs, the commission has the discretion to decide.
Sangreshi in response to a question said, Zilla and Taluk Panchayat polls will also be held using ballot papers.
"Using ballot papers is a choice. The SEC after considering what is good in the present scenario, after discussion and thinking, felt that use of ballot papers is appropriate. Most of those voting, since the last 20-30 years ago (in Bengaluru) have not seen ballot papers as EVMs are being used. Ballot paper is also a best practice, and throughout the world it is appreciated," he said.
"Using ballot papers doesn't mean going back to old age. Ballot papers are still being used in several of our elections like Gram Panchayat, cooperative and MLC polls," he also said.
Stating that according to him both ballot papers and EVMs don't have any faults, Sangreshi said, the Supreme Court which has upheld EVMs, has not said that ballot papers shouldn't be used.
He said, under the GBA Act there is a specific provision to hold the election using ballot paper. "When there is an act, why shouldn't we use it?"
The officers are well equipped to complete the process of election within the time, he further said, adding that "I think, there will be no hurdle to conduct the polls using ballot papers."
Responding to a question, the commissioner said that web cameras and CCTV cameras will be installed and adequate security will be ensured using police force to address the concerns of rigging. Also there will not be any logistical issues. "Everything will be taken care of," he said.
The tenure of the earlier elected body, under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) expired on September 10, 2020, and since then a government-appointed administrator was taking care of its day-to-day affairs.
Bengaluru was divided into five new municipal corporations -- Central, East, West, North, and South-- under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) in September 2025, replacing the single BBMP.
Speaking to reporters after releasing the draft voters' list for GBA along with Sangreshi, R Ramachandran, Special Commissioner of GBA Election said, a total of 88,91,411 voters are there in the ward-wise draft voters' list of five corporations under the GBA, and a total of 369 wards have been formed in the jurisdiction of five corporations.
The draft voter list prepared keeping October 1, 2025 as the base date has 45,69,193 male, 43,20,583 female and 1,635 other voters.
Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit homes from January 20 to February 3 and people will be allowed to submit claims and objections about the voters list during this period, he said, adding that disposal of claims and objections will take place from February 4 to February 18, and the final electoral roll will be published on March 16.
While ward number 23 of Bengaluru West Municipal Corporation has the highest number of voters at 49,530, ward number 16 of Bengaluru East Municipal Corporation has the lowest number of voters at 10,926. There will be 8,044 polling booths in a total of 369 wards, he further said.
