The Calcutta High Court has stayed an order from the Election Commission's police observer, who had directed the West Bengal DGP to take preventive action against around 800 citizens terming them as 'troublemakers' ahead of the first-phase polling in the eastern state.
A division bench of chief justice Sujoy Paul and justice Partha Sarathi Sen held that the police observer had 'erred in issuing a blanket direction by treating certain citizens as troublemakers' and stayed the April 21 order till June 30.
The order came on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Md Danish Farooqui, alleging that people's fundamental right to liberty would be affected by the order.
Senior advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, who is also a TMC lawmaker, represented the petitioner, arguing that the ECI has no authority, jurisdiction or power to call certain persons 'troublemakers' and issue direction to the police authorities to take steps against them.
The poll panel has modified its earlier order imposing restrictions on motorcycle movement, allowing the use of two-wheelers by service providers and office goers carrying proper identity cards.
