The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant an urgent hearing to a petition seeking the continued deployment of central paramilitary forces in West Bengal after the conclusion of elections. The plea sought to keep the forces stationed in the state to prevent potential post-poll violence. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that such administrative decisions fall within the domain of the political executive rather than the judiciary.
The matter was mentioned before the bench by senior advocate V. Giri, representing one of the litigants. The petitioner argued for the extension of the central forces’ stay, citing the precedent of 2021, where West Bengal witnessed large-scale violence following the declaration of election results. The counsel emphasized that the presence of central forces was necessary to maintain law and order and protect citizens from reprisal.
Responding to the suggestion, the counsel appearing for the Election Commission of India (ECI) clarified that the poll panel’s mandate is limited to the conduct of elections. The commission stated that its role and authority over the deployment of forces cease once the electoral process is officially concluded.
The bench was firm in its stance that the court should not take over the functions of the executive branch. Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked:
“The political executive will decide. Let the state be run by a political executive and not by the court.”
The court’s refusal to grant an urgent stay reflects the judicial principle of separation of powers, indicating that the responsibility for assessing security requirements and deploying forces lies with the government.
While the bench declined the request for an immediate hearing, it did not dismiss the matter entirely. The court noted that it might consider the plea on May 11. This is the date when other related petitions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal are scheduled for consideration.
