Bharati takes on Buddha and Morcha - Front fury for state silence -....Tamta Shunted out... ‘Justice is getting delayed, we are restless’ .....Killer hired to eliminate Tamang-CID.....CPM wants ‘other parties’ in hill talks

(Top) Bharati Tamang addresses the meeting at Chowk Bazar and (above) a rally taken out by Democratic Front supporters in Darjeeling on Monday. Pictures by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri,TT, Darjeeling, July 12: The Democratic Front today held its first public meeting in the Darjeeling hills where Bharati Tamang lashed out at the state government for its silence in dealing with the murderers of her husband, former ABGL chief Madan Tamang.

Standing behind Tamang’s garlanded portrait, the ABGL president who was addressing the first political meeting of her life dared the state to come out with the truth. “The Bengal government is silent on the murder despite knowing everything. Had a political murder occurred in any other district, there would have been a hue and cry but in Darjeeling everyone is quiet and justice is getting delayed. We are getting restless,” said Bharati.

Reflecting the same vigour as her husband, one of the best orators in the hills, Bharati asked the government to do its job. “I am not telling you (state government) to take a risk but am asking you to do your duty. If you cannot discharge your duties you have no right to occupy the chair. The murder is not being condemned by a single political party but only by the people of the hills. My husband was not an enemy of the people but he was killed by the people’s enemy,” she said, expressing her gratitude to the hill people for supporting her during the turbulent days following the murder. “Young and old, weak and strong, almost everyone supported us by taking part in the candle-light rallies.”

Bharati’s allegations come nearly 20 days after chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said Tamang’s killers would be arrested very soon and that if the CID failed to crack the case, it would be handed over to the CBI. Tamang’s wife had met Bhattacharjee on June 23 at Writers’ Buildings, almost a month after the ABGL leader’s murder on May 21.

The ABGL had named 11 Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders in the FIR. The chief minister had promised the immediate arrest of the main accused. At that time the ABGL leaders had returned to the hills satisfied with Bhattacharjee assurance.

Tamang’s murder transformed Bharati from a homemaker to a leader with enough nerves to lead a blitzkrieg against the state government and the Morcha.

But Bharati was not the only speaker at the public meeting of the front — a six-party anti-Morcha alliance in the hills — at Chowk Bazar.

Gopal Chhetri, president of Trinamul Congress district committee, said: “The agitation is being carried out with the state government’s money and it is a state sponsored agitation.”

Most speakers criticised the Morcha’s 32-month agitation and accused Bimal Gurung’s party of changing issues with every passing day and calling strikes at the drop of the hat.

“They talked about Gorkhaland, then switched over to the interim set-up and have finally ended up proposing Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh. The Morcha had seized 117 files from DGHC secretaries and had promised a probe but we find that they are running the council through the back-door,” said Sawan Rai, a central committee member of the CPRM, which is also a constituent of the front. “Our children are not studying in the metros or in Australia like their children (Morcha leaders) and the strike will only inconvenience us,” said ABGL leader Pratap Khati. The Morcha has threatened to call a 40-day strike in the hills from next month if the government did not announce the date for the next round of tripartite talks on the hills.

Dawa Sherpa, who was elected as the ABGL’s working president today, said: “The recruitment process for the Integrated Child Development Scheme and for the state police has been stopped not by Delhi or Calcutta but by the very people who claim to be working for the hills. We have come to the end of a drama of songs and dances and the curtains are about to fall.”

Sherpa was referring to Morcha chief Gurung’s statement that he would achieve statehood not by using arms but by singing and dancing. 
SNS, DARJEELING, 12 JULY: Addressing a public meeting organised by the recently formed Democratic Front at Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling, Mrs Bharati Tamang, the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League president, took a dig at the state government for not having arrested the principal culprits involved in her husband's assassination.
The AIGL leader, Madan Tamang was murdered in Darjeeling on 21 May. And this was the first public meeting by the anti-GJMM political conglomeration since its inception a few months back.
“The murderers should have been arrested by now with fifty three days having passed since the gory mayhem. Yet the state government seems still groping in the wilderness. It should respect the commitment it made to me at a meeting in Kolkata that the culprits would be brought to justice at the earliest. But making a mockery of the commitment and the law of the land, the perpetrators of the crime or those who plotted it keep roaming around freely,” she rued. 
Apparently hitting at the ‘vendetta-propelled GJMM brand of politics’, she further said that her husband, though a vocal critic of violence-tinged politics, had never resorted to strong-arm tactics to browbeat the opponents in his long war-scarred public career.
In a sharper attack on the GJMM, the AIGL working president, Mr Dawa Sherpa, asked the people to decide whether they would strive for Gorkhaland or Murkhaland (land of the fools).
Ridiculing the GJMM for claiming to profess by the Gandhian shibboleths, he asked whether there was a need for fratricidal mayhem when the people were united in the collective Gorkhaland aspirations. He also appealed to the intellectuals to come forward to revive the abiding glory of Darjeeling as a redoubt of tolerance.  
Addressing the gathering, the CPRM general secretary, RB Rai said that those whose name had figured in the FIR in connection with the Madan Tamang murder had absconded with active connivance of a section of the law enforcers.
“That they have absconded has half proved their complicity in the heinous crime,” he asserted.

Tamta Shunted out

TNN, KOLKATA: K L Tamta, IG, North Bengal, is expected to hand over charge to Ranveer Kumar on Wednesday. This was announced by DGP Bhupinder Singh on Monday.
Tamta however was not keen on the transfer to the post of IG (Planning) and had made a representation to home secretary Samar Ghosh, which created a ripple. IPS officers are supposed to make their representations to the DGP, but Tamta wrote to Ghosh.
He wrote that he had played an exceptional role against GJM agitators and wanted to continue as IG (NB). Urban affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya and other CPM leaders of Darjeeling had pleaded for his continuance.
DGP Singh had taken this as an indiscipline and had discussed the matter in the police establishment board. However, Tamta's wife had complained to the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya that DGP was mentally harassing her by commenting that Tamta would be punished.Singh said that as the government has posted Tamta in the post of IG (Planning) he is supposed to join.   
Tamang killer eliminated
Bibhas Bhattachrya, HT: A contract killer was hired by political rivals to eliminate All-India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang in Darjeeling on May 21, CID officials have said. The killer has also been murdered to remove evidence, according to the sleuths of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal police.

The political angle as seen when the killer lunged at Tamang with a knife, one of his (killer's) accomplices took out some papers and a CD from a bag Tamang was carrying and escaped, a CID officer said. 

"Tamang was about to divulge some malpractice of leaders (of a political group) on May 21 at a meeting and for this he had some evidence recorded in a CD, apart from some papers.
And after murdering him, the killers left the bag after taking away the incriminating documents," the officer said.
The officer declined to divulge the killer's name.
"We think that when the operation was completed the killer was murdered and the body was dumped somewhere," the officer said.

CPM wants ‘other parties’ in hill talks

Bhattacharya: Speaking for others

TT, Siliguri, July 12: The CPM today said it had no problem if the tripartite talks with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha resumed but demanded that other hill parties be involved in the dialogue on Darjeeling.

“It will be wrong to say that the Morcha represents the entire hill population. A number of other parties have their bases in the hills and therefore, we want discussion to be held with them too before any decision is reached on the Darjeeling issue,” urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya of the CPM said at a news conference here.

“We have no problem with the tripartite talks being held with the Morcha but simultaneously other parties also deserve a hearing. The demand has been raised by our district committee. The state committee has endorsed it and sent it to the state government.”

The next round of tripartite talks was supposed to be held in May-end but did not take place after Madan Tamang’s murder. The Morcha has blamed Bhattacharya for delaying the dialogue.

The minister, who had represented the Bengal government in the political-level tripartite talks with the Morcha held in Delhi, said the state and the Centre would decide on how the other parties could be accommodated in the talks. “They can either be included in the next round of the talks or separate parleys can be held with each of them.”

Anti-Morcha parties like the GNLF, ABGL, CPRM and the GNLF(C) have repeatedly demanded that they be included in the talks. But so far there has been no response from the state or the Centre.

Criticising the Morcha for “terrorising” the hill people, the minister said: “They (the Morcha) are creating an ambience of terror in the hills, particularly after losing their foothold. None of their agitation — the proposed indefinite strike from the end of this month or the ongoing closure of government offices — are backed by the hill people. It is because of the (Morcha’s) consistent intimidation that the people are not attending offices and remaining silent.”

The CPM, he said, wanted to make it clear that under no circumstances, would the Morcha’s pressure tactics and threats to facilitate the next round of tripartite talks succeed.

Bhattacharya, who is also the Darjeeling district convener of the Left Front, slammed the Dooars-Terai regional leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad for their hobnobbing with the Morcha.

“It is not the tribal population but some so-called leaders of the Parishad, who have sold themselves to the Morcha for money,” the CPM leader alleged.

“The tribals should understand that it is the Morcha that has unleashed terror in the hills, stalled all development work and created problems in the Terai and the Dooars. The tribals should banish these leaders who are shaking hands with the hill party,” he said.

Bhattacharya also took a dig at the Parishad’s labour wing for keeping from the joint movement taken up by the central trade unions for tea workers.

“They have not participated in the recent strikes and the move, we feel, has helped the tea companies and not the workers,” he said. 
Sikkim & Goa Tourism Tie up

PraKha, Gangtok, July 12: A Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) for promoting tourism of each State at both ends has been inked between Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) and Goa Tourism Development Corporation.

“The MoU had been made on June 23 between us and GTDC. We signed the agreement here and sent the copy to GTDC which it signed last week”, said STDC chief executive officer S Anbalagan. The agreement stands effective from June 23, 2010 and is valid for a period of two years, he added.

As per the terms of agreement, both the States will be promoting each other for attracting more tourists from each end. Both the corporations will be seeking to tap tourism potential of respective States, thereby enhancing employment generation within tourism stakeholders, develop tourism packages service and product and make them accessible to the public through tourism publicity.

“Goa is the premier destination for foreign tourists. We want the foreign tourists visiting Goa to be informed about tourism attractions of Sikkim through promotion activities planned in this agreement. This will help in bringing more foreign tourists to Sikkim from the Goa end”, said Anbalagan.

Similarly, we will be promoting Goa tourism to the tourists visiting Sikkim and both sides will benefit, said Anbalagan.

As per the terms of agreement, both the corporations will mutually market their hotel accommodations, facilities and tourism packages while pocketing a commission of 15 percent. Once booking is done, 15 percent commission will go to the corporation which is our earning part, said the STDC chief executive officer.

The two corporations will be providing marketing spaces in their tourism sale counters at Gangtok and Panaji on reciprocal basis besides initiating special package tours in their respective States. Joint publicity and marketing campaigning will be also conducted as per the agreement.

Tourists visiting Goa will be provided with promotional items regarding tourism attractions in Sikkim and similarly, Sikkim tourism offices here will be promoting Goa when tourists walk into their offices.

Both the corporations will also be providing each other with sufficient updated publicity materials, tariff cards and timely inform each other of any change in tariff, introduction of new schemes for marketing agents.

“Now the agreement has been formally signed, we will be fine tuning the entire modality as envisioned in the agreement”, said Anbalagan.

The STDC has already signed similar agreements with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat and is planning to engage Tamil Nadu into a similar MoU. 
Rain hampers repair

The stretch of NH55 that caved in at Paglajhora on June 16

TT, Siliguri, July 12: The road connectivity between Siliguri and Darjeeling through NH55 is yet to be restored as frequent rain is disrupting the repair of a portion of the highway that had collapsed in a landslide at Paglajhora about a month ago.

The repair by the public works department will be delayed further if the indefinite strike announced by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha starts at the end of this month.

About 20 metres of the highway had on June 16 fallen into a 300-400ft deep gorge near Paglajhora, about 35km from here. Since then, the PWD’s NH Division IX has been trying to restore the connectivity, but hostile weather has hampered the repair.

“Continuous rain is disrupting the repair at the damaged stretch as we have to take up the work 40 metres below the road. During rain, boulders frequently slip down, prompting our men to stop work,” said Nirmal Mondal, the executive engineer of the NH Division IX .

“Apart from that, we have to take construction material from Siliguri to the affected spot through Mirik or Mungpoo as minor landslides have occurred between Siliguri and Paglajhora,” added Mondal. The PWD apprehends that if the Morcha launches an indefinite strike from the end of July, it will take more time to complete the repair.

“We are aware that an indefinite strike will be observed across the hills at July end. If it is not withdrawn or postponed, we think the resumption of traffic through NH55 will not be possible in the next two months,” said Mondal.

The executive engineer said even if there was no rain during the repair, at least 30 days would be required to restore the highway to its original form.

The distance from Siliguri to Kurseong and Darjeeling through NH55 is 50km and 78km respectively. As the road has collapsed, vehicles have to reach Darjeeling and Kurseong via Mirik or Mungpoo, the distance being more than 100km. 

Clash stops admission

The road blockade by the SFI. (Anirban Choudhury)

TT, Alipurduar, July 12: Around 300 students from different parts of the Dooars could not be admitted to Alipurduar Vivekananda College on the last day of admission today because of clashes between the Chhatra Parishad and the SFI.

Despite the college authorities’ announcement that they could not take students beyond the capacity of 750, the student organisations demanded that all 970 applicants be admitted.

While the Chhatra Parishad and the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad started a relay hunger strike on the premises from Saturday to pressure the authorities to take all applicants, the SFI blocked the main road in front of the college from 11.30am to 2pm, leaving over 100 vehicles stranded.

Ratna Dey, the lecturer in-charge of the college, said they were helpless. “We cannot admit students beyond our capacity of 750. We will intimate the university about today’s trouble,” she said. So far about 500 students have been enrolled and 263 more can be admitted.

At 3.30pm, the rival student bodies took out processions and the rallyists threw stones at each other. Police brought the situation under control.

The scared guardians were seen running for cover. Ramen Bhadra, a trader from Hasimara who brought his daughter, said: “I kept my stationery shop closed incurring loss and came here for my daughter’s admission. But the environment of the college upsets me.”

Ashim Sarkar, an SFI leader in the college, alleged that a CP supporter had pushed one of his boys. “It prompted others to retaliate.” CP leader Bubai Sarkar denied the charge and blamed the SFI for attacking their rally first.

DD OF SIKKIM OPENING SHORTLY

गंगतोक। सिक्किम के लिए निर्माण किया गया दूरदर्शन केंद्र निर्माण पुरे होने के 6 साल बित जाने के वाद बी उद्घाटन नही हो पाने का रहस्य का खुलासा केंद्रिय सूचना तथा प्रशारण मंत्री श्रीमती अंबिका सोनी ने की है। गुवाहाटी में असम सरकार के साथ मंत्रालय के पत्रसूचना कार्यालय द्वारा गुवाहाटी के बेलतला में  आयोजित दों दिवसीय राष्ट्रिय संपादकों की सम्मेलन के उद्घाटन समारोह में पत्रकारों से पुछे गये प्रश्न का जवाफ में श्रीमती सोनी ने बताया कि सिक्किम में अब प्रसार भारती को स्वयात्ता शासित क्षेत्र बनाया गया है जिस के चलते कयी तरह के खामीया आया है। इसी सिलसिले में सिक्किम के दूरदर्शन केंद्र के उद्घाटन के लिए राज्य के मुख्यमंत्री डॉ. पवन चामलिंग ने चार महिने पहले मुझे बताया है। हम प्रयास कर रहे है कि अब जल्द ही सिक्किम के  दूरदर्शन केंद्र का उद्घाटन किया जायेगा। उन्होंने उद्घाटन नही होने का मुख्य कारण बताते हुए कहा कि मानवशक्ति (मैनपावर) की कमी के कारण ही हम उक्त केंद्र की संचालन नही कर पा रहे है। उन्होंने बताया कि प्रसार भारती में 11 हजार मानव शक्ति कि आवश्यकता है जो अगस्त तक  नियुक्त किया जायेगा। इस के वाद तुरंत ही सिक्किम की दूरदर्शन केंद्र भी शुरू होगा।

उन्होंने बताया कि सिक्किम सिमावर्ती राज्य होने के कारण वहा के कम्युनिकेशन के आधारभूत ढाचों की विकास होना जरूरी है । जिस से राज्य की आर्थिक विकास में मद्दत होगी। इस के साथ ही कल 13 तारिक को सूचना तथा प्रसारण मंत्रालय की विभिन्न प्रतिनिधियों के साथ भी इस सिलसिले में चर्चा करनी की आश्वासन दिया।

ज्ञात हो कि इस दूरदर्शन केंद्र के उद्धाटन नही होने के कारण राज्य के भारतीय जनता पार्टी ने राज्य ओर केंद्र सरकार के खिलाफ आंदोलन जारी किया है। इस के लिए भाजपा में केंद्रिय मंत्रायल में पत्रचार के समेत केंद्र के परिसर में धर्ना प्रदर्शन भी कर चुका है।

वही असम के मुख्यमंत्री तरूण गोगोई द्वारा उद्घाटन किया । इस सम्पादक सम्मेलन में अपने मन्तव्य रखते हुए उन्होंने कहा कि पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों में सडक, सूचना तथा आधारभूत ढाचों की कमी पर ध्यान देने की आग्रह की। उन्होंने सारे आतंक असंतुष्टियों के जड संपर्क के अभाव में पनपने वाले विकास के गति में सुस्तता बताया।

उन्होंने पूर्वोत्तर राज्य में सारे कार्यों के लिए अपार संभावना होते हुए भी आधारभूत ढाचों के कमी से पिछडे होने की दावा किया। इसी प्रकार केंद्रिय अल्पसंख्यक आयोग के मंत्री तथा अध्यक्ष सलमान खुर्सिद ने देश के संविधान द्वारा चिंहीत किया गया अल्पसंख्यकों के बारे में जानकारी दि। उन्होंने अल्पसंख्यों के लिए किया गया कार्यों के विस्तृत रिपोर्ट भी प्रस्तुत किया। मौके पर सूचना तथा प्रशारण राज्य मंत्री तथा पत्रसूचना कार्यालय के महा निदेशक निलम कपुर भी उपस्थित थे।

फोटोः पत्रकारों से अन्तक्रिया करते हुए केंद्रिय मंत्रीगण के साथ असम के मुख्यमंत्री 

Tribal outfit undecided on supporting Gorkhaland creation

ANI, Jalpaiguri, 12 July : The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, a tribal outfit, met in Jalpaiguri District, and is still indecisive about supporting the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.
The Parishad, the dominant tribal organisation in West Bengal’s Terai and the Dooars foothills region, has already released a map comprising the tribal belts demanding Sixth Schedule status, which would grant more autonomy and powers to help develop the backward tribal region.
“Yesterday, my party members went there and heard the views of the Morcha (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is spearheading the movement for the separate state). Today, we didn’t discuss anything about the so-called Gorkha Adivashi Pradesh. It is nothing but a slogan of the Morcha. We do not agree with their proposal. Our committee will decide whether we will go for a meeting with the Morcha or not in future. But still we demand the Sixth Schedule (status), which is our constitutional right, for Terai and Doars (region),” said Birsa Tirkey, the state president of the Parishad. File Photo : Arnab Mitra

Rs 5000 fine for littering trek trails- Clean-up order: climbers told to return with own garbage

Trekkers along Dzongri trail in the Kanchenjungha National Park. A file picture

TT, Gangtok, July 12: Trekking enthusiasts who litter mountain trails with disposables in Sikkim now have to cough up a fine of Rs 5,000.

The fine will be imposed on tourists travelling along the famed Geochala and Dzongri high altitude trails of the Kanchenjungha National Park in West and North districts of the state.

This is a part of the stipulations laid down in a project called “zero-waste destination” that started in March. The project is being implemented by the state forest department, Kanchenjungha Conservation Committee (KCC) and The Mountain Institute (TMI) Sikkim unit.

The “zero-waste destination” was launched at Yuksom in West Sikkim to prevent the accumulation of garbage along the KNP trails spread over 1784sqkm.

Yuksom, 138km from Gangtok at 5,700feet, is the main base camp for the Dzongri and Goechala treks.

Dzongri and Goechala are located at 10,000ft and 16,400ft respectively. All these treks are popular with both domestic and international tourists during May-April and October-November seasons.

“Yuksom generally receives 5,000 to 7,000 visitors a year, leading to high garbage accumulation in the national park. The KCC, the TMI Sikkim unit and local tourism stakeholders used to collect the trash piling up in the park before launching the zero-waste mission,” said KCC general secretary Kinzang Bhutia.

“Periodic cleaning made no sense as the garbage would accumulate inside the park again. Hence, we launched the project in March,” added Kinzang.

The tourists had to fill up a form at the entry point at Yuksom before starting for the trek. In the form, they have to declare if they are carrying items like mineral and juice bottles, tinned food and packaged chips and noodles.

“When the group returns, the forms are cross-checked to see that the trekkers have brought back the empty bottles and packets and other forms of garbage,” said Kinzang. “If the items are not brought back by the trekkers, they have to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 as previously declared in the forms. Since March, 250 groups consisting of around 2,000 people have gone through the Yuksom check post and there has been no single violation.”

Empty bottles and cans strewn at a camp on the way to Mount Everest and (above) plastic being burnt on the Himalayas

The garbage collected from the trekkers is segregated by two KCC employees at the Yuksom check-post. “We take the trash on a trolley to the nearby segregation centre where the garbage is dumped in 21 separate chambers. There are different chambers for further segregation of empty tins, noodle packets, bottles and other things,” said the KCC general secretary.

“We are planning to convert the waste plastic items into toys and to set up a paper recycling unit in the future. We are also thinking of selling the empty tins and bottles to local scrap dealers so that they reach the original place of production,” said Kinzang.

Regarding the financial sustainability of the project, Kinzang said the TMI was paying the salaries of the two staff at the Yuksom check-post.

Nima Tashi Bhutia, the programme co-ordinator of the TMI, said: “Now, we are looking at the financial sustainability of the zero-waste project. Earlier, we did not consider this aspect as we wanted to prove that the project could be made a success. There have been no specific funds for this project. The next step is to bring all the tourism stakeholders together and show them the success of the project and seek ways to sustain it.” He added that the project would be replicated at the other entry points to the park like Uttarey, Nambu and Hee Bermiok.

Court orders ballot recount in Balurghat

TT, Calcutta, July 12: Calcutta High Court today directed the Election Commission of India to recount the votes cast through the electronic voting machines in the Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency on July 26.

Justice Maharaja Sinha issued the directive on a writ petition moved by the Trinamul Congress candidate of the constituency, Biplab Mitra, who had complained about an error in the counting. Mitra had lost the elections held in May last year to the RSP’s Prasanta Majumdar by 5,105 votes.

Acting on an earlier order of the court, the district magistrate of South Dinajpur, Ashok Kumar Banerjee, appeared before the judge today with documents related to the polls. The district magistrate was the returning officer for the elections.

This is not the first time that the high court has ordered a recount. In the 1991 Assembly elections, a similar order was passed after Congress candidate Dibyendu Biswas moved a petition complaining about counting errors when he lost to the CPM’s Rabin Deb from the Ballygunge seat in Calcutta. However, by the time the high court directed the recount, the date for the next Assembly polls of 1996 had been already announced. Deb won the 1996 election also. Ever since the introduction of electronic voting machines, the results delivered by them are tabulated in two forms. In the first form the result from each individual machine is tabulated and the final results are compiled in the second form.

After losing the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat last year, Mitra had complained that the tabulation from the individual machines — there were 1,232 polling stations — had indicated that he had won the elections. However, when the final compilation was made, Mitra found that he had lost. Mitra turned to the court on June 16 last year, exactly a month after the results were declared.

“Before that, my client had approached the chief electoral officer of the state and complained about the matter, but since there was no reply, he approached the court,” said Bimal Chatterjee, Mitra’s advocate.

On July 26, the results of the two forms will be compared to see if Mitra’s claim that they did not tally is substantiated. The forms have been kept with the chief electoral officer of the state.

The court had prima facie held that there was substance in the case and directed accordingly. Today, when the matter came up for hearing, the RSP MP from Balurghat was present, along with other party leaders, even though he had not been summoned by the court.

State counsel and former mayor of Calcutta Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya told the court that it had “no jurisdiction” over the case and only the Supreme Court could hear such cases. The judge, however, did not take cognisance of the observation.

Bhattacharya said the RSP would move the apex court against today’s direction.

A senior lawyer of the high court said if the results were found to be reversed and went in Mitra’s favour, the high court had no jurisdiction to “re-announce” it.

“The high court can only tell the chief electoral officer of the state about its conclusion and ask him to take the appropriate steps,” he said.