On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court began hearing the All India Trinamool Congress’ contempt petition regarding the alleged violence and campaign restrictions in Tripura ahead of the civic body polls scheduled for November 25.

After the TMC and Tripura government presented their first set of arguments, Justice DY Chandrachud asked the Tripura government what measures it had taken to ensure free and fair elections in the state. Earlier, TMC’s lawyer had asked the Supreme Court to consider rescheduling the civic body polls on account of a recent spate of alleged violence and political tension in the state.

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“We want to know what you’re doing to ensure free and fair elections. What steps are you taking to ensure that nothing happens between today and the counting day?” the judge asked the Tripura government.

The hearing was adjourned for one and a half hours to allow the state government time to prepare a detailed statement on the security measures being taken to ensure safety during the polls, right up till the date of counting of votes.

WHAT DID TMC SAY?

Arguing in the Supreme Court, TMC’s counsel mentioned several incidents of violence that have allegedly taken place in Tripura, with the date and place of the same. “In the screenshots, you can see that while violence is taking place, the police is standing and not doing anything,” TMC’s counsel said.

The TMC asked the Supreme Court to consider rescheduling the civic body polls in Tripura and to appoint a committee of observers.

TMC’s lawyer said, “Political workers are being pushed out. Children and women have been dragged out of their houses. Vehicles have been vandalised. These are not free and fair elections. Will the voters even come out to vote? The elections were last conducted in 2020. Heavens are not going to fall if they are rescheduled. There have been 17 incidents of violence and not a single arrest.”

WHAT DID TRIPURA GOVT SAY?

Arguing on behalf of the Tripura government, advocate Mahesh Jethmalani said, “This is a politically contrived petition. Today is the last day of campaigning. Suddenly, they come up with a string of incidents [of violence]. In every incident they mentioned, an FIR has been filed and we are investigating everything.”

“The Supreme Court had asked us to file a compliance report [regarding polls] and we were going to circulate it tomorrow,” he added.

The court had earlier asked the Tripura government to ensure that no political party fielding candidates in the upcoming civic body polls is “prevented from pursuing its electoral rights in accordance with law, and from campaigning in a peaceful and orderly manner”.

WHAT HAPPENED IN TRIPURA?

On Sunday, the TMC alleged that their party workers were beaten with sticks and stones inside the police station in Agartala by BJP members. BJP has denied these allegations.

Several people were also injured in an attack on the TMC state unit’s Steering Committee chief Subal Bhowmik’s residence in Bhagaban Thakur Chowmuni area of Agartala on Sunday night. The TMC has alleged that “members of the media” were also “clobbered”.

As a result of the ‘escalating tension’ in the state, both the BJP and TMC were barred from holding campaign rallies and roadshows in Agartala on Monday.