Panchayat Election 2023: Manipur unrest raised in panchayat case, national human rights commission’s role in question.

Abhijit Ray, Kolkata:-The issue of Manipur unrest has come up in the Panchayat Election 2023 case. Recently, a single bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya had set aside the National Human Rights Commission’s decision to appoint observers for panchayat polls. The National Human Rights Commission had moved the division bench challenging the order. A division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hironmoy Bhattacharya was hearing the case on Tuesday.State Election Commission counsel Jayanta Mitra raised the issue of Manipur in the court.”What is the role of the National Human Rights Commission in the unrest in Manipur? What steps has the Human Rights Commission taken to stop the unrest?” he said, adding, “It’s not just the state. Cases have come to light in many states. There has been unrest in Chennai and Bengaluru. What action has the Human Rights Commission taken to bring it under control? What else will the Human Rights Commission do in Delhi to ensure peaceful elections here?” Central Human Rights Commission counsel Aman Lekhi said, “The observer can tell the returning officer that booth capturing is an incident. But can the commission avoid responsibility if there is no incident of violence or disturbance outside? In this case, human rights are being violated. Therefore, according to the law, the Human Rights Commission can take spontaneous action. Or may recommend.””The State Election Commission has appointed IAS and WBCS officers as observers for the elections. The opposition political party had sought appointment of the former judge as an observer. But the High Court quashed it and gave a clear order. After hearing both sides, the court stayed the verdict.