The Calcutta High Court.
Credit: iStock Photo
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed that all documents and CCTV footage relating to elections in West Bengal's Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency be preserved till disposal of an election petition filed by BJP candidate Hiranmay Chattopadhyaya.
Deepak Adhikari of the Trinamool Congress was declared winner from Ghatal, where elections were held on May 25.
The court directed that pending a decision on the election petition, all documents, devices, CCTV footage and digital video recorders (DVRs) related to the election conducted in the Ghatal constituency be preserved by the custodian authority of such documents.
Justice Bivas Pattanayak directed the registrar concerned of the high court to serve a copy of this order to the Chief Election Commissioner of India.
The court said that a prayer by the petitioner's lawyer for forensic audit of the CCTV footage will be decided on the next date of hearing on September six.
Both BJP's Hiranmay Chattopadhyaya and TMC's Deepak Adhikari, are film actors and are known by their screen names Hiran and Dev, respectively.
Chattopadhyaya's lawyer Billwadal Bhattacharya said that the petition challenges the election process on the ground of alleged corrupt practices.
He prayed for an order for preservation of records, including CCTV footage, EVMs and the DVRs in all the polling booths of the constituency.
Justice Pattanayak directed that notice be issued to the respondents in the petition.