NHRC panel to probe post-poll violence after Calcutta HC rejects government’s plea

The court on Monday criticised the state govt and West Bengal Human Rights Commission for their ‘failure’ in tackling the issue

Calcutta High Court:File picture

Tapas Ghosh   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |  22.06.21 : A special bench of Calcutta High Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition by the Bengal government, seeking a modification of its directive to the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission to send a team to meet people who had allegedly been victims of post-poll clashes in the state and submit a report to judges by June 30.

The five-member special bench headed by acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal had issued the order on June 18.

The court on Monday criticised the Bengal government and the West Bengal Human Rights Commission for their “failure” in tackling the issue.

Justice Harish Tandon on the bench said: “It is a matter of wonder that the state human rights commission did not receive a single complaint from any victim, while the

National Human Rights Commission already has 541 allegations of post-poll violence from various parts of Bengal.”

Justice Bindal said: “One-and-a-half months past the publication of poll results (on May 2) in the state…. It is really a matter of shame that incidents of violence and torture are still taking place.”

Following two different public interest litigations, moved by advocates Anindya Sunder Das and Priyanka Tibrewal, the special bench had in early June first directed the state rights body to set up a committee by including a representative from itself, the State Legal Services Authority and the NHRC.

But on June 18, when the case came up for the court’s scanning again, the petitioners’ lawyers had alleged that the order of the court was not adhered to properly.

Hearing the allegation, the special bench directed the NHRC to set up a committee for visiting the allegedly affected areas of Bengal and file a report before the court.

But moving a petition before the bench, the state government on Monday sought modification of the June 18 order as it was “delivered without giving the state the opportunity to defend itself”.

The court said the case would be heard again on June 30 and asked the NHRC chairman to file the report then.