Calcutta HC refuses to stay Bhabanipur bypoll to be contested by Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition on the by-election to the Bhabanipur assembly seat, ordering that polls will be held as scheduled on 30 September. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice R Bharadwaj said it was inappropriate on the part of the West Bengal chief secretary to have written such a letter in which he had appealed to the election commission for holding the by-election at Bhabanipur. The court dismissed the PIL in which the language used to seek the by-poll was challenged. The chief secretary had in the letter said that a “constitutional crisis” would occur if the by-election to Bhabanipur was not held. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting from the Bhabanipur seat.