FIR against candidates for COVID-19 norm violation in West Bengal

Voters queue at a polling station during the sixth phase of West Bengal Assembly elections in North 24 Parganas district on April 22. Pic/AFP

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has till Friday lodged FIRs against 13 candidates for allegedly violating COVID-19 safety protocols and issued show-cause notices to 33 others contesting the West Bengal assembly elections in the remaining seventh and eighth phases for the same reason, an official said. The full bench of the ECI directed officials during a virtual meeting to continue "strictly dealing" with candidates violating the COVID-19 safety protocols, he said. "A show-cause notice is first sent to a candidate for alleged violation of Coronavirus protocols. If the officials are not satisfied with the reply of the notice, they must lodge an FIR. The officials must also send a compliance report to the Commission," he said.

Of the 13 candidates against whom FIRs were lodged, six are from Birbhum district. The ECI decided to book anyone violating the safety protocols under the Epidemic Disease Act as well as the IPC Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), the official said. At Friday's meeting, the poll panel also asked district election officers and senior officials of the CEO's office why the Calcutta High Court had to intervene for non-implementation of the COVID-19 protocol, a source in the poll panel said.

"Officials in the districts and the CEO were asked why enough steps were not taken against candidates and political party workers for violating the COVID-19 guidelines laid down by the ECI," the source said. The Calcutta High Court on Thursday had expressed dissatisfaction with the ECI over enforcement of COVID-19 health safety norms during the ongoing West Bengal assembly election process, including campaigning. Hearing three PILs seeking enforcement of COVID-19 protocol during the elections, the high court said that issuance of circulars and holding meetings on COVID-19 safety were not enough. Meanwhile, the ECI decided to deploy 796 companies of central forces for the 34 assembly constituencies going to polls in the seventh phase on April 26.

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