Sanchita Chatterjee, BS Agency, New Delhi: On Monday, IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma was heard issuing a stern warning while standing in front of the residence of Jahangir Khan—a Trinamool leader and candidate from Falta. His family was cautioned specifically to ensure that Jahangir refrained from intimidating voters. A video of this incident subsequently went viral. In response, Jahangir declared that he was not the type of person to be easily intimidated. Following these events, the matter was brought before the High Court on Tuesday.
Now, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the removal of IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, who has been appointed as the Police Observer for the state. Given the manner in which Ajay Sharma has been seen touring sensitive areas of South 24 Parganas over the past few days, some observers have begun comparing him to the fictional on-screen character, ‘Singham.’ He was notably seen issuing a direct warning while standing right outside the residence of Trinamool candidate Jahangir Khan. It is against this very ‘Singham’ figure that a series of legal challenges have now been mounted. The petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday night—just hours before the voting scheduled for Wednesday.
What is the Plea Before the Supreme Court?
The petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday night—specifically, just a few hours prior to the commencement of the second phase of voting. It is not yet known whether the Court has formally admitted the petition. The petitioner has demanded the immediate removal of Ajay Pal Sharma from his duties regarding the West Bengal elections. Allegations of abuse of power have been leveled against him. A similar petition was also filed in the High Court.
After his initial plea was dismissed by the High Court on Tuesday, the lawyer once again approached the High Court against Ajay Raj. Justice Krishna Rao declined to hear the matter. Consequently, a request has been submitted for the constitution of a new bench. An email requesting an urgent hearing was sent to the Chief Justice of the High Court late that very night.
Petition Dismissed by the High Court
The matter came up for hearing in the High Court on Tuesday. The Court explicitly stated that it would not intervene in the matter until April 29—the scheduled date for the second phase of voting. Justice Krishna Rao declared that the Court would not interfere with the work of any official currently entrusted with election duties. Furthermore, the hearing could not proceed on Tuesday because the procedural formalities for filing the petition had not yet been fully completed.