The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to respond by Monday on how long it will take to decide the bitter dispute between rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) over the party symbol and name.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said the ECI has the power to issue an interim order since the bypolls in the state had been announced.
Today, the elections are on, new symbols are given, and candidates have filed their nominations. “We want you to tell us a reasonable time where parties are given a fair opportunity but not to prolong the proceedings. “If such orders are allowed to be passed, they will be passed in the midst of every election. Municipal elections in the state are coming up in November. Twenty rebel TMC parliamentarians merged with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India and backed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.
AITC founder Mamata moved the Supreme Court on September 18, hours after ECI allotted separate names and symbols to the two rival factions following its September 17 interim order freezing the original party identity for the upcoming bypolls in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar.
Clearly, we cannot touch the bye-elections,” the bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said. We also want to know within what time you will get an opportunity to decide to adjudicate the dispute,” the bench said. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mamata, told the court that he does not seek stay of elections. However, he complained that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC approached the ECI in June, which issued an interim order in September depriving the party of its symbol, “Flowers and Grass” symbol and name. I only have a request if the ECI can be asked to decide the main dispute in October,” Sibal said.
“The solution here is that the ECI must come to a final decision as early as possible before the next election takes place.
