Supreme Court permits notification of uncontested seats in WB panchayat polls
New Delhi, Aug 24 : The Supreme Court on Friday permitted the notification of the results of about 21,000 uncontested seats in the recently held West Bengal panchayat polls, ruling out that there was no provision for the filing of e-nomination in the statute.
Of the 21,000 uncontested seats, 20,000 were won by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Taking recourse to its plenary powers under Article 142, the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, however, permitted the aggrieved candidates who could not file their nomination papers in the seats that went uncontested, to move the election tribunal within 30 days.
Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist had alleged that the ruling party people had obstructed them from filing the nomination papers.
Holding that there was no provision for e-filing of the nomination papers, Justice Chandrachud said that any challenge to an election should take place in accordance with the procedure known to law.
He said obstruction to filing nomination papers is a serious matter.
The top court verdict came on a plea by the West Bengal State Election Commission, challenging the Calcutta High Court's May 8 order permitting e-nominations and reading the provision of the Information Technology Act into the Representation of People Act.
On July 3, the apex court had said that it would examine whether the high court, in exercise of its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution, could permit e-filing of the nomination papers by reading the provision of Information Technology Act into the Representation of People Act.
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Explosion near CRPF School in Delhi caused by lit cigarette butts: Report
New Delhi: The investigation team that probed the explosion that took place outside the CRPF School in the Prashant Vihar area of the city on October 20 morning has reportedly not found any terror force behind the blast.
The investigation team, consisting of Delhi Police and staff members from central agencies, has stated in its report that cigarette butts thrown by a local resident might have come in contact with industrial waste and have caused the explosion. Circumstantial evidence does not show the incident to have a terror angle to it, reports The Indian Express.
The Delhi Police, the city bomb squad and the fire brigade had rushed to the spot following the explosion, which was initially believed to have been caused by a crude bomb. The forensic experts who inspected the spot hinted at the presence of potassium chlorate, hydrogen peroxide and some electrical wires there. The school wall had been damaged and the windows of a car nearby had shattered in the explosion.
The investigation team scanned the CCTV camera footage and zeroed in on around 10 people questioned. A senior police officer said that a North Delhi-based businessman from Prashant Vihar was found to be present at the spot around five minutes before the explosion, as he had come there on Sunday morning to walk his dog. The CCTV footage showed him smoking and, after questioning him, the team concluded that he had left lit cigarette butts before leaving the spot, the officer added.
The spot where the explosion took place is learned to have been usually used for dumping garbage and also has a public urinal.
An officer has said that the Delhi Police had consulted forensic and technical experts of the National Security Guard regarding the things found on the explosion site but are yet to get the report. The officer added that they have found no detonator so far.
